Entheofest is a way to honor Mother Earth's sacred plant medicines, according to Jim Salame, who is organizing Sunday's festival on the Diag at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
"The purpose of it is to celebrate the anniversary of the resolution that was passed in Arbor about a year ago," Salame told 7 Action News Friday.
In September 2020, Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution to decriminalize magic mushrooms and other psychedelic plants so that people in possession of these plants would be the lowest priority for local law enforcement.
An entheogen can be described as a psychoactive, hallucinogenic substance that is derived from plants or fungi and used in spiritual or ritualistic contexts.
"There are so many different cultures that use plants, medicinally and culturally," said Salame. "And it makes perfect sense in today's age with opiates not working out that well. So, we should have these choices for us and safer choices at that."
Entheofest is set to take place Sunday from 11:11 a.m. to 2:22 p.m., and will feature a lineup of speakers that include artist Barking Dog Darryl Brown, who sits on the board of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, and Anqunette Sarfoh, a former news anchor who retired from television news after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and became involved in the cannabis industry.
Hosts organizations include the Michigan Psychedelic Society (MPS), Decriminalize Nature Michigan, and the Student Association for Psychedelic Studies.
