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About the Organization

Decriminalize Nature Philadelphia is an IRS-registered 501(c)4 lobbying and political advocacy organization based in Philadelphia.  We formed in 2020 and incorporated as a (c)4 in 2023.  Our mission objective is to pass a resolution that would decriminalize natural entheogens/psychedelics here.

The movement draws inspiration from the successful decriminalization efforts in other cities and towns including Denver, Oakland, Detroit, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Portland, and many more (as well as two states: Oregon and Colorado), aiming to prioritize public health, risk reduction, and responsible exploration of consciousness and spirituality over punitive measures for individuals who use these sacred plants and fungi.

Natural entheogens/psychedelics have been integral to the spiritual/religious practices of cultures around the world for millennia, from the ancient Indians and Greeks to cultures throughout what is now known as the Americas.  They are generally safe when proper risk reduction guidelines are adhered to, including understanding of dosage, as with any other medicine.

DNP Leadership

Executive Director & Board President

Thomas Buonomo is an independent consultant focused on strategic communications and the peace-building potential of entheogens/psychedelics, from the community to the international level.  He began organizing with the Decriminalize Nature Philadelphia campaign in late 2020 after much research into the potential of these natural medicines to treat people suffering from post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychosomatic ailments.  After two years, he helped establish the chapter as a registered 501(c)4 lobbying organization and served on the board as Treasurer for his first one-year term.

Thomas has worked in a range of capacities over the last 18 years, from the military to grassroots organizing in support of US foreign policy reform, veterans, human rights, and environmental issues; to energy security policy lobbying and advocacy to energy market and country/geopolitical risk analysis; to conflict analysis, prevention, and resolution.  

He has experienced firsthand the benefits of these medicines in his struggles with depression and they have profoundly influenced his spiritual explorations and growth. In addition to his own experiences, he has read more than 50 books on the subject, in addition to numerous scientific reports, essays, articles, etc. by psychiatrists, psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, ethnopharmacologists, philosophers; Indigenous, Western, and Eastern spiritual leaders; et al. as part of his years-long integration process and path of psychological, philosophical, and spiritual inquiry.  
 


Financial Transparency: 2023 Pennsylvania Public Disclosure Form
                           IRS Form 990-N 



 

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