Court case seeking to return psychedelic mushroom festival to U of M campus running out of time
A court battle between the University of Michigan and a psychedelic mushroom festival continues after an emergency hearing at Washtenaw County Circuit Court was transferred to the Court of Claims.
A group called the Student Association for Psychedelic Studies is suing the university after the school denied its permit to host its event on the Michigan Diag.
Because this case doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, the judge had no choice but to transfer it to the Court of Claims, which can make a ruling involving state entities like a university. Organizers now have fewer than 20 days to get a ruling on their injunction ahead of the fifth annual Entheofest.
"On my motion, I'm transferring the matter to the court of claims today," said Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Tracy Van Den Bergh.
In an email to Entheofest organizers, the school denied the student group's permit to host the event on campus because it promotes illegal substances that are Schedule I drugs on both the federal and state levels. They also cite safety risks due to potential crowd size.
Organizers claim there's precedent to deem the university's decision unconstitutional as they seek an injunction through the courts.
"I've worked with Hash Bash for 10 years, and 30 years ago, they had an issue with the university canceling their permit for essentially the same reasons, and it was a way to stifle free speech," said Entheofest founder Jim Salame.
The student group says they've been proactive in communicating that illegal drugs are not allowed at the event and anyone selling them will be arrested.
"People who are selling illicit substances are not part of our organization. They're not part of our event. We've put out in our media postings that it is prohibited to do that," said Student Association for Psychedelic Studies president Emily Berriman.
She says any on-campus activity will be focused on dialogue and education about psychedelic mushroom research, similar to the purpose of Hash Bash before marijuana was legalized in Michigan.
"We believe we have the right for assembly and free speech on the Diag as a student group. It's important for us to share our views," she said.
In response to Wednesday's hearing, the University of Michigan issued the following statement:
"The University is satisfied with the outcome of today's emergency hearing and agrees that this case belongs in the Court of Claims. We will continue to defend our decision to deny the student organization's permit request to reserve the Diag for Entheofest 2025."