Oregon decriminalizes all drugs and legalizes psilocybin therapy

Oregon made history yesterday with two major reforms to its drug policy. Voters in the state approved Measure 109, which legalizes psilocybin therapy, and Measure 110, which decriminalizes drug possession and reallocates some cannabis tax funding to pay for addiction treatment services.

The passage of Measure 110, which received nearly 60% of the vote, makes Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of most drugs, including heroin.

The decriminalization measure will eliminate criminal penalties for minor drug possession offenses, something no other U.S. state has done yet. Instead, individuals found in possession of a controlled substance will be subject to a fine of $100 or required to undergo a health assessment within 45 days.

The new law will also use existing tax revenues from cannabis sales, which voters legalized in 2014, to fund expanded drug treatment programs.

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With the adoption of Measure 109, Oregon is also the first state to legalize psilocybin, one of the substances found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, for medical purposes. The measure was adopted with 561 votes in favor. As part of this initiative, the Oregon Health Authority will be responsible for creating a psilocybin-assisted therapy program where licensed facilities will administer the medication in a controlled therapeutic setting.

As part of the measure, adults will be able to access psychedelics in a medically supervised environment. There are no limits on the types of conditions that would make a patient eligible for treatment.

Currently, no such policy is in place elsewhere in the United States, although this vote comes in the midst of a national movement to decriminalize a wide range of entheogenic substances, including ayahuasca and ibogaine. The cities of Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Ann Arbor have already deprioritized their law enforcement against the use of psychedelic substances derived from plants and fungi.