Opinion: Oregon’s sketchy framework for psilocybin program portends a new implementation disaster

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In November 2020, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 109, which legalized the administration of psilocybin – a chemical found in “magic mushrooms” – at supervised, licensed facilities in the state. The associated statute, ORS 475A, explained the rationale for the measure as an effort to combat the state’s mental health and addiction crises. The program set up by the state allows facilitators with no mental health or medical training to conduct psilocybin sessions, ignores best practices in this emerging therapy and fails to adequately consider the serious risk that clients may face. With psilocybin services now starting to be offered, Oregonians may soon bear the price of the state’s poor implementation of this experimental ballot measure.