2020 Oregon Ballot Measure 109

In 2020, voters in the U.S. state of Oregon passed Ballot Measure 109, also known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act,[2] allowing the "manufacture, delivery and administration" of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug.[3] While psilocybin remains illegal nationally, the passage of the law made Oregon the first U.S. state to legalize the drug. Per the law, psilocybin must be used for "personal development" and grown and administered in licensed environments. The ballot measure puts in place a two-year period for the government to determine regulations around the law's implementation, such as what credentials will be needed for someone to administer the drug.[4]

Ballot Measure 109
Oregon Psilocybin Services Act:
Allows manufacture, delivery, administration of psilocybin at supervised, licensed facilities; imposes two-year development period
Results
Choice
 Votes  %
Yes 1,270,057 55.75%
No 1,008,199 44.25%
Total votes 2,214,856 100.00%
Source: Associated Press[1]

The chief petitioners behind the bill were Sheri and Thomas Eckert, both therapists who had been working for years to legalize psilocybin because of its potential benefit for people struggling with conditions including depression, anxiety, and addiction. To get the initiative (called the Psilocybin Service Initiative, or Initiative Petition #34) on the November 2020 ballot, 112,020 signatures of support from Oregonians had to be collected.[5] On November 3, 2020, Ballot Measure 109 was passed with support from 1.27 million Oregonians, or 55.75% of the vote (according to unofficial results from the Oregon Secretary of State in the days following the election).[6]

Results by county:

County Yes Votes No Votes Total
Baker 36.42 3,479 63.58 6,073 9,552
Benton 63.39 32,276 36.61 18,639 50,915
Clackamas 52.40 128,890 47.60 117,098 245,988
Clatsop 55.02 12,707 44.98 10,388 23,095
Columbia 50.84 15,827 49.16 15,307 31,134
Coos 45.33 16,034 54.67 19,334 35,368
Crook 35.47 5,301 64.53 9,643 14,944
Curry 50.39 7,234 49.61 7,123 14,357
Deschutes 52.80 63,841 47.20 57,064 120,905
Douglas 39.83 24,751 60.17 37,386 62,137
Gilliam 35.57 408 64.43 739 1,147
Grant 33.37 1,487 66.63 2,969 4,456
Harney 29.91 1,283 70.09 3,007 4,290
Hood River 63.23 7,964 36.77 4,632 12,596
Jackson 51.19 62,692 48.81 59,774 122,466
Jefferson 40.63 4,662 59.37 6,811 11,473
Josephine 46.30 22,615 53.70 26,225 48,840
Klamath 39.79 14,056 60.21 21,268 35,324
Lake 29.03 1,209 70.97 2,955 4,164
Lane 59.88 127,241 40.12 85,262 212,503
Lincoln 57.64 17,055 42.36 12,535 29,590
Linn 44.74 31,423 55.26 38,814 70,237
Malheur 30.58 3,475 69.42 7,890 11,365
Marion 49.42 78,389 50.58 80,216 158,605
Morrow 34.11 1,689 65.89 3,263 4,952
Multnomah 71.19 318,425 28.81 128,871 447,296
Polk 48.60 22,730 51.40 24,039 46,769
Sherman 34.42 400 65.58 762 1,162
Tillamook 51.57 8,429 48.43 7,916 16,345
Umatilla 36.02 11,330 63.98 20,126 31,456
Union 37.94 5,453 62.06 8,921 14,374
Wallowa 34.90 1,742 65.10 3,249 4,991
Wasco 50.61 6,880 49.39 6,713 13,593
Washington 59.10 180,112 40.90 124,626 304,738
Wheeler 34.84 323 65.16 604 927
Yamhill 50.26 28,245 49.74 27,957 56,202

Implementation

The Oregon Health Authority runs the Oregon Psilocybin Services program, which is creating regulations and issuing licenses for all aspects of the program. They will begin accepting applications for licensure on January 2, 2023. After that date, treatment providers who are licensed, using tested psilocybin from licensed suppliers, will be able to legally screen and treat individuals with psilocybin in Oregon. The program posted draft regulations for public notice and comment in April, 2022. In the 2022 Midterm Elections, as a protest against the measure, a total of 102 incorporated cities and 25 counties in the state voted, temporarily or permanently, to prohibit psilocybin-related business from being conducted within specified areas.[7]

As of 2023, psilocybin therapy is permitted in the following counties: Benton, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln, Multnomah, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill. Clackamas and Clatsop, meanwhile, have only temporarily opted out, and both are expected to permit psilocybin therapy as soon as 2025.

See also

References
  1. "Election Results". Associated Press. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  2. "Oregon Measure 109 Election Results: Legalize Psilocybin". The New York Times. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  3. "Most Oregon ballot measures pass on Election Day". KATU. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  4. Acker, Lizzy (2020-11-03). "Oregon becomes first state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  5. Acker, Lizzy (2019-09-06). "Oregon is one step closer to being the first state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  6. "GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2020". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  7. "Oregon Psilocybin - April 2022 Public Comment Period". Oregon Health Authority. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
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