“When I first discovered the power of plant medicine, I felt a strong urge to create a safe and supportive framework in my community so that others could experience deep healing under the protection of the law. That’s when I discovered Decriminalize Nature.
It was essential for me to build a safe political and social climate around plant medicine—one that would protect facilitators, participants, and the broader community. But with such a lofty goal and no experience in politics, I turned to Decriminalize Nature’s national team for guidance in early 2020.
Right away, I was connected to others in Arizona who shared the same vision. Through monthly state-level meetings, I began to learn the foundational steps of changing local and state policies. These meetings not only taught me about the challenges we’d face, but more importantly, they helped me find a community of like-minded people committed to making the world a better place. For the first time, I felt at home in a community that shared my passion for this work.
Thanks to the guidance and unwavering support of the national Decriminalize Nature team, I gained the confidence to start advocating for change in my own city.
The leadership from the national team has been crucial, consistently keeping us informed about developments at the state, national, and global levels. Their dedication gives me full faith that, together, we will continue to empower our city and state to create a world where people are not criminalized for seeking healing or a deeper connection with nature.”
– Jamie Blasquez, Organizer DN Flagstaff and Arizona