Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) may soon be legal to use in Oregon in therapeutic treatment settings. Recently enough signatures were gathered to put a measure on Oregon's November ballot. If the measure passes, it means a new program will be phased in over two years to license therapists to treat patients with psilocybin.
What Is Psilocybin And Will I Be Able To Buy It If The Measure Passes?
If the measure passes, this will not allow people to grow or buy the mushrooms. Only licensed professionals will be able to administer a therapeutic dose of psilocybin in a treatment center, and patients receiving the dose will not be able to leave while under its effects.
Psilocybin is a substance found in a certain class of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Currently psilocybin is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it's not available to doctors in a clinical setting. Recently some scientists have gotten approval and been researching psilocybin and doing studies that are showing a lot of promise, particularly with cancer patients. Some studies have shown that cancer patients who received psilocybin experienced a relief from distress, anxiety and depression that lasted up to six months after one dose.
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Upcoming studies are expected to follow to evaluate psilocybin use as therapy for opioid addiction, Alzheimers, PTSD, chronic Lyme disease, and alcohol use in people with major depression. The FDA also recently designated psilocybin therapy as a breakthrough therapy for depression in 2019.
You can read more about what exactly psilocybin is, the side effects, and the studies being done on it here.
Sheri and Tom Eckert have been leading the charge to get this on the November ballot for clinical use, and a recent campaign to do so gathered 164,782 signatures.
While cities like Oakland and Denver have decriminalized psilocybin, Oregon would be the first state to legalize it for clinical use if voters pass the measure. The Psilocybin Services Act would authorize the Oregon Health Authority to establish the Oregon Psilocybin Services Program, permit licensed service providers to administer psilocybin to pre-screened people 21 years old or older, establish an advisory board to advise the Oregon Health Authority on guidelines and rules for the program, and establish a regulation and control fund.
You can read more about the Psilocybin Services Act on the November ballot here.
