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Could psychedelic mushrooms be used to treat depression in Washington?

caption: In this Friday, May 24, 2019 photo a vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles.
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In this Friday, May 24, 2019 photo a vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Last year, Mental Health America found that more than 1 in 5 adults in Washington state live with a mental illness.

Right now, people have options like talk therapy and medication available to help them.

But a new option could be on the way.

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” shows promise for treating depression and PTSD.

There's a new bill in Olympia that would make this treatment available under very specific circumstances. If passed, people 21 years and older could go to a registered facility and have a psychedelic experience with supervision.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann spoke to Seattle Times reporter Esmy Jimenez about her reporting on the psychedelic mushrooms' potential legalization in Washington.

She also spoke to Kody Zalewski and Tatiana Luz Quintana, co-directors of the Psychedelic Medicine Alliance of Washington, an advocacy group working to decriminalize and ensure equitable access to psychedelics like psilocybin.

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