New York Times Columnist Says Oregon’s Magic Mushroom Policy Breaks From the “Medicalization-Legalization Binary”

"It is based on the idea that psilocybin has the potential to change our lives for the good, whether we are sick or well."

Trail along the McKenzie River. (Bonnie Moreland)
By Tess Riski

A March 18 New York Times column explores passage of Ballot Measure 109, which made Oregon the first state in the country to legalize the use of psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from what's known colloquially as "magic mushrooms."

"This framework is different from what we've seen before," columnist Ezra Klein writes. "Not legalization, not medicalization, but therapeutic use, in licensed facilities, under the guidance of professionals trained to guide psychedelic experiences. Whoa."

On Tuesday, Gov. Kate Brown announced the members of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, which will create the regulatory framework for psilocybin therapy.

Measure 109 approved psilocybin use for people 21 years and older. Unlike cannabis, psilocybin won't be available for purchase in stores. Instead, Oregonians will be able to trip while under professional supervision at licensed facilities.

The Times column commended this structure.

"It does not allow anyone to sell psilocybin pills in stores. Nor does it restrict treatment to those with a diagnosis of mental illness," Klein wrote. "Instead, it is based on the idea that psilocybin has the potential to change our lives for the good, whether we are sick or well."

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