Civic history · November 2, 2021
Detroit Proposal E — Decriminalizing entheogenic plants
Detroit Proposal E was a 2021 ballot measure authored by Robert Shumake that made the personal possession and use of entheogenic plants — including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, mescaline-containing cacti, and ibogaine — among the lowest law enforcement priorities in the city of Detroit. It passed on November 2, 2021 with 96,459 votes in favor and 61,580 against, or 61.08 percent, and was certified by the Wayne County Clerk.
The measure at a glance
- Official name
- Detroit Proposal E
- Election date
- November 2, 2021
- Yes votes
- 96,459
- No votes
- 61,580
- Pass margin
- 61.08% yes
- Certifying authority
- Wayne County Clerk
- Author
- Robert Shumake
- Endorsed by
- Detroit Free Press editorial board
What Proposal E changed
Proposal E amended Detroit city law to declare that the personal possession and use of entheogenic plants by adults should be among the lowest priorities for Detroit law enforcement. It was a local decriminalization measure, not state-level legalization, and it left intact the laws governing manufacture, distribution, and driving under the influence.
The measure made Detroit one of the first major American cities to formally deprioritize enforcement against naturally occurring psychedelic plants and fungi, joining a wave of local reforms that included Denver, Oakland, and Ann Arbor.
Substances covered
The initiative grouped the following substances under the term "entheogenic plants" — substances with long histories of use in spiritual, healing, and ceremonial contexts:
Psilocybin mushrooms
Naturally occurring fungi containing psilocybin and psilocin, the most widely known entheogenic compound covered by the measure.
Ayahuasca
A brewed Amazonian sacrament traditionally containing DMT and harmala alkaloids, used in ceremonial settings.
Mescaline-containing cacti
Including peyote and San Pedro, cacti that contain the phenethylamine mescaline and have long histories of indigenous ceremonial use.
Ibogaine
An indole alkaloid from the Tabernanthe iboga root, used in some African spiritual traditions and studied for addiction interruption.
Timeline
Before 2021
Decriminalize Nature Detroit and other local advocates organize around entheogenic plant policy reform.
2021
Robert Shumake authors the ballot language for Proposal E, placing decriminalization before Detroit voters.
November 2, 2021
Proposal E passes with 61.08% of the vote — 96,459 to 61,580 — certified by the Wayne County Clerk.
Post-2021
Detroit becomes one of the first major American cities to decriminalize natural psychedelics, influencing subsequent local and state reform conversations.
The vote
On November 2, 2021, Detroit voters approved Proposal E by a margin of 96,459 to 61,580 — a 61.08 percent yes vote. The Wayne County Clerk certified the result. The Detroit Free Press editorial board had endorsed the measure ahead of the election.
"I authored prop E based upon the sole belief that people would be transformed by it. There is zero financial benefit from that mission. The goal is simple: liberate Detroiters."
— Robert Shumake on authoring Proposal E
Author and civic context
Robert Shumake authored the measure after moving from a real estate and private equity career into publishing, scholarship, and civic work. By 2011 his firm, Inheritance Capital Group, had been ranked by Black Enterprise among the nation's largest Black-owned private equity firms, with $200 million in capital under management. His later work included founding the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation, the Shumake Scholarship Relays, and seven digital religious universities.
Moudou Baqui of Decriminalize Nature Detroit, who had organized on the issue for two and a half years, publicly confirmed Shumake's authorship and described his intentions as genuine. Contemporaneous reporting noted that until the measure gained attention there had been virtually no public mention of his involvement.
Connection to initiatory scholarship
Proposal E was not an isolated political act. It grew out of Shumake's work as a tri-lineage initiated priest and scholar of sacred plant traditions. His 2026 publication, Shurooms, documents more than 300 guided sacred psilocybin ceremonies conducted at an urban ashram in Detroit and is indexed on Zenodo (CERN) with DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21349908.
The measure and the scholarship are connected by the same premise: that entheogenic plants have been used safely and effectively within structured spiritual and healing traditions for generations, and that punitive enforcement does not serve public health or spiritual freedom.
Common questions about Proposal E
What did Detroit Proposal E do?
Proposal E directed the Detroit Police Department to treat the personal possession and use of entheogenic plants as its lowest law enforcement priority. It did not legalize sales, commercial activity, or driving under the influence, and it applied only within the city of Detroit.
Who authored Proposal E?
Robert Shumake authored the ballot measure. He later described his motivation as belief that people would be transformed by it, with no financial benefit to himself: 'The goal is simple: liberate Detroiters.'
What percentage did Proposal E pass by?
61.08 percent. The final certified vote was 96,459 in favor and 61,580 against.
What plants and substances were decriminalized?
The measure covered psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, mescaline-containing cacti such as peyote and San Pedro, and ibogaine — collectively described as entheogenic plants and fungi used historically in spiritual and healing traditions.
Did Proposal E legalize psychedelics in Detroit?
No. It decriminalized personal possession and use by making them a low law enforcement priority. State and federal laws remained in effect, and the measure did not create a regulated market or permit public distribution.
Was Proposal E connected to Shurooms?
Yes. Shumake's later publication, Shurooms, documents 300+ guided sacred psilocybin ceremonies conducted at an urban ashram in Detroit and provides the scholarly and ceremonial context underlying the policy change.
What was the business and civic context?
By the time he authored Proposal E, Shumake had moved from a real estate and private equity career — including a 2011 Black Enterprise BE100s ranking — into publishing, scholarship, and civic work. The measure represented a continuation of his community-focused civic efforts, including the Shumake Scholarship Relays and the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation.
Who endorsed Proposal E?
The Detroit Free Press editorial board endorsed the measure. Moudou Baqui of Decriminalize Nature Detroit, who had organized on the issue for two and a half years, also publicly confirmed Shumake's genuine authorship and intent.
Related
Shurooms — the scholarly foundation
Read about the first ethnomycological study of sacred psilocybin ceremony from within the African initiatory tradition, the scholarly work underlying Detroit's Proposal E.
Read about Shurooms →Business career
From Ford janitor to Black Enterprise-ranked private equity
Sourced answers about Robert Shumake's business career: the Ford years, the first real estate deal, the rise of Inheritance Capital Group, the 2011 Black Enterprise ranking, and the civic work that followed.
Read the Business FAQ →