Paul Walton

Paul Walton joined the Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue (BCFR) in 2008, serving as a firefighter, apparatus engineer, and currently as a deputy fire marshal. Initially driven by a desire to serve and help the community, the cumulative effect of witnessing trauma, experiencing sleep deprivation, constant vigilance, and job-related physical injuries started to take a toll. Suffering from work-related physical and mental injuries, Paul began to doubt if he would be able to complete his career in the fire department--and if he did, at what cost.

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In 2022, a fortunate twist of fate led to an extended period of time off work to recover from surgery due to a workplace injury. During this time, Paul chose to use medical cannabis instead of the prescribed opiates for pain control. The positive effects were undeniable. Paul was suddenly sleeping through the night, had more energy and improved emotional regulation, and he found himself naturally drawn to creative outlets

like acrylic flow painting. Faced with having to give up the medicine that was finally providing relief from his symptoms in order to return to work, Paul was suddenly on a mission to secure the rights of firefighters to access legal and safe plant medicines. In 2023 and again in 2024, Paul had a psilocybin-assisted therapy session with profound mental health improvements each time. With New Mexico becoming the 3rd state to legalize psilocybin therapy, Paul is on a mission to advocate for first responder

access to this rediscovered breakthrough in mental health therapy.

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He continues that mission today through his founding of Firefighters for Plant Medicine, his ongoing peer support training, psychedelic sitter training, facilitation of therapeutic recreation, and PEER Support PAT Guide training. First responder mental health and plant medicine advocacy, awareness, and education is not just a mission-- it’s a passion.

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Paul was born in rural Ohio and spent his adolescent and young adult years in Rockford, Illinois. Once a punk rock kid, at 18 he found plant medicine and the music to match, and this became a catalyst of profound positive change in his life. Paul worked in outdoor recreation for many years in Prescott, AZ, before moving to New Mexico and joining BCFR. Music continues to be a huge part of his life, as does the healing power of recreation. Over the years, Paul has loved fishing, kayaking, skateboarding, camping, mountain biking, archery, and his newest recreational outlets: pickleball and flow painting. Paul continues his mental health journey today with support of his family in their Albuquerque home.