Medical magic mushrooms: Vets join lawmakers in support of efforts to legalize it

PHOENIX - At the Arizona State Capitol, first responders and veterans joined lawmakers to show their support for a bill that would legalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms, also called magic mushrooms or shrooms, in Arizona.

If Senate Bill 1570 is passed and eventually signed into law, it would allow someone with a mental health condition to use the psychedelic drugs for treatment. The bill would not allow everyone to use magic mushrooms, as its goal is to help adults who are depressed, bipolar, suffer from PTSD, or suffer from anxiety.

State Sen. T.J. Shope (R-District 16) supports it, as well as a number of veterans. Those who spoke on Feb. 13 said the bill would give medical professionals another tool to treat someone struggling with a mental health issue.

"At one point in time, I used to take over 300 pills a month from the VA," said a Marine named Robert Steele. "Many veterans don't want to do that, many law enforcement officers don't want to do that, but the facts are the facts: 29% of people that went to Iraq or Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD."

Another person who spoke in favor of the bill is Bob Parsons, a Marine Corps veteran who founded both GoDaddy and PXG.