Kevin Matthews believes "magic mushrooms" saved his life.
Matthews, a former cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, had no choice but to retire from the service because of major depression.
"I struggled tremendously with that, because my life's purpose was to serve as a career army officer. It felt like my life crumbled," Matthews, 33, said.
But when he returned to Denver in 2011, he tried psilocybin mushrooms — a mind-altering experience that he said "lifted the fog" and dramatically alleviated his depression.
He is now leading a citizen-sponsored campaign to effectively decriminalize the psychedelic substance in "magic mushrooms" in Denver. Initiative 301, as it's known locally, goes up for a vote Tuesday.
