Oregonians Approve Measure to Legalize Psilocybin Therapy

Voters in Oregon have approved a psilocybin ballot initiative, with 1,193,632 people voting yes on the measure and 947,650 individuals voting no. The initiative legalizes psilocybin mushroom use for therapeutic purposes.

Under the initiative, adults will be able to acquire psychedelic treatment in an environment that is medically supervised. The measure has no limitations on the conditions required for an individual to be eligible for treatment. Presently, no policies such as this exist in any other state in the United States, although the victory does come at a time when a national movement calling for the decriminalization of various entheogenic substances, including ibogaine and ayahuasca, is growing. Cities such as Ann Arbor, Santa Cruz and Oakland have passed legislation making fungi and plant-derived psychedelics low-enforcement priorities.

Over in Washington, DC, voters also approved a ballot measure to pass the same policy change. In the U.S., the first city to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms was Denver, in 2019.

Regulators in Oregon will also be in charge of issuing licenses for the manufacturing, testing and administering of psilocybin mushrooms by January 2, 2023. The campaign that organized the psilocybin reform measure gained a lot from the ads they ran to promote their efforts.

For instance, in a TV ad released last month for the campaign, a medical doctor stated that the initiative could help alleviate the mental suffering for people who were terminally ill. A prior ad had featured a medical doctor, who also happened to be a state senator, stating that the proposal promoted the safety of a therapy that can help individuals who are suffering. This seems to have worked in sensitizing people and making it known to them the various benefits of this psychedelic substance.

Last week, Oregon also approved a separate proposal to broaden substance misuse treatment and decriminalize drug possession for small amounts of drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. The advocates behind that campaign had also released ads on the project. The Oregon Democratic Party formally seconded both initiatives last month.

This does not mean that the proposed legislation had no opposition. The psychedelic reform measure drew opposition from a rather unlikely body. Decriminalize Nature, which has been behind various campaigns in different states to decrease criminal enforcement again entheogens such as psilocybin, argued that the decriminalization of the hallucinogenic mushrooms would threaten access to the psychedelic.

Earlier in January, Rep. Earl Blumenauer stated in an interview that not only was he all for the psilocybin reform proposal but that he would also boost the campaign as the election drew near. He added in an email blast in August that passing the initiative was necessary because the measure tackled mental health, an important issue in the community, in a responsible and innovative way.

Cybin Corp. is a psychedelics company you should watch. This Canada-based entity specializes in developing therapeutic products from psychedelics and also has an interest in the functional mushroom market.

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