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On Monday, backers of Measure 109, which legalized therapeutic uses of psilocybin, or what's referred to colloquially as "magic mushrooms," announced the creation of a nonprofit called the Healing Advocacy Fund to aid in the measure's implementation.
Oregon voters passed the measure in November 2020 by a margin of 56% to 44%. But state-regulated psilocybin therapy in Oregon remains nearly two years away.
This month, Gov. Kate Brown is expected to appoint members to the measure's advisory board, and the Oregon Health Authority will begin accepting applications for licenses for psilocybin therapy in January 2023.
"Passing Measure 109 was a breakthrough, but it's also just the beginning," said Sam Chapman, the Healing Advocacy Fund's executive director, in a statement Feb. 8. "We now must make sure that the law voters passed is implemented with our core values in mind: healing, accessibility, equity and safety."
As WW previously reported, the Oregon Health Authority will manage the state's psilocybin program, meaning it will have the power to grant, renew and revoke licenses.
People who have used psilocybin describe the drug as psychologically healing, and therapists who've supervised trips say the drug can help people work through grief and trauma while in an altered state.
Measure 109 was spearheaded by Sheri and Tom Eckert, founders of the Oregon Psilocybin Society. In December 2020, less than two months after the measure passed, Sheri Eckert died in her sleep due to cardiac arrest.