Meet Moudou Baqui – The founder of Decriminalize Nature Detroit gives us the shaman’s eye view of Michigan’s vibrant and vital psychedelic culture.
By: Ryan M. Place
Michigan is a psychedelic hotspot. Psilocybin and entheogens like ayahuasca have been officially decriminalized in Washtenaw County, home of Ann Arbor, and in the city of Detroit. A movement for statewide decriminalization in 2023 is gaining traction.
One of Detroit’s premier psychedelic ambassadors, Moudou Baqui, is helping to lead the charge. Moudou is the founder of Decriminalize Nature Detroit (DND) and is a well-known speaker at psychedelic events across the state. He was instrumental in the successful push to decriminalize entheogens in Detroit last November via the ballot initiative Proposal E, which won with 61 percent of the vote.
He was born in Detroit in 1976. as Justin Petty. His decades-long transformation into street shaman Moudou Baqui (pronounced moo-doo bah-kee) was forged in the furnace of inner-city turmoil. His profound spiritual awakening was juxtaposed over the slow-motion wreckage of his city as auto manufacturing jobs dwindled and
suburban flight, neglect and structural racism twisted the knife into a vibrant metropolis.