Dr. Jessica Nielson
Founder, Psychedelic Society of Minnesota; Chair, MN Psychedelic Medicine Task Force
The architect of Minnesota's psychedelic policy framework — founded the state's Psychedelic Society and chaired its Medicine Task Force.
Biography
Dr. Jessica Nielson is the architect of Minnesota's psychedelic policy framework. She founded the Psychedelic Society of Minnesota (psychedelicmn.com) in 2018 and chaired the state's Psychedelic Medicine Task Force, which recommended decriminalizing psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and synthetic psilocybin in 2024. She completed Harvard's Psychedelic Bootcamp.
Her groundwork led to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's executive order (July 23, 2023) deprioritizing psychedelic enforcement in Minneapolis — making it the first US city to achieve this via executive action rather than ballot measure. The Society operates as a sober, harm-reduction-focused space with strict policies against illegal activities during events.
Organizations
Why They Matter to the LearnShrooms Community
Nielson's dual role as Society founder AND Task Force chair created a uniquely integrated advocacy model — community organizing and state-level policy under one figure. Other states are studying this model for replication. The Mayor Frey executive order also pioneered a third path beyond ballot measures and city council resolutions: executive action.
Legal Context
For the legal landscape where Dr. Jessica Nielson operates, see psilocybin laws in Minnesota.