217 Today: Citing the mental health crisis, some hope to see Illinois legalize psilocybin

Psilocybin mushrooms are shown in a growing container before being removed and cut for distribution at Uptown Fungus in Springfield, Ore., Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Today’s headlines: 

  • The U.S. Supreme Court seems ready to narrow a federal bribery law used in some big Chicago corruption cases.
  • Governor J.B. Pritzker is promoting his plan to eliminate medical debt for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans.
  • Urbana School District 116 is set to vote Tuesday on which elementary school will become fully dual language.
  • The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team has had three commits from the transfer portal so far this offseason.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about efforts to legalize a psychedelic drug in Illinois to treat mental health disorders.

Reporting today contributed by Dave McKinney, Alex Degman, Emily Hays, Colin Hislope and Elissa Eaton.

 

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.