Vic Mensa Advocates for Shrooms After Pleading Guilty of Possession

After pleading guilty for the possession of shrooms, Roc Nation rapper Vic Mensa received 12 months of unsupervised probation.

Vic Mensa won't be doing any prison time after pleading guilty for the possession of shrooms. In January, the Roc Nation rapper was arrested at Dulles Airport for going through customs with magic mushrooms – also known as 'shrooms'. According to TMZ, Mensa initially received 12 months in jail as part of his plea deal, but jail time was suspended for a year of unsupervised probation.

Along with probation, the rapper will have to undergo a substance abuse assessment, contribute 25 hours of community service, along with paying a $1k fine. If he successfully completes other terms of his probation, 50 percent of the fine will be slashed.

Mensa gave a statement to TMZ about his plea and the mental health benefits of psilocybin mushrooms.

"In this case, I have decided to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge. I have been extremely vocal about my mental health, the culture at large and access to mental health treatment. It is important to note the extensive research being done on the topic of psilocybin [shrooms] and the many significant movements underway for legalization and decriminalization."

He added, "Esteemed universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of California, NYU, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Imperial College of London have all immersed themselves in years-long research programs with full departments and centers dedicated to this work. Unfortunately, our laws have not kept up with the research showing that psychedelic plants and compounds can be successfully used to treat otherwise treatment-resistant mental illness."

The rapper added that he hopes laws around psychedelic-assisted therapy will change. "I have contributed positively to many communities and will continue to do so with this case," he said. My hope is that the silver lining to this matter will be increased focus on the effectiveness of psychedelics to treat mental illness and mood disorders that millions are battling with depression and anxiety with hope that all of our laws will change accordingly."