Over the last year, a handful of cities have passed decriminalization measures for psilocybin and other plant psychedelics. Denver was the first jurisdiction to pass a decriminalization measure, and Oakland, Santa Cruz, Ann Arbor, and most recently, Washington, D.C., followed suit. Each of these decriminalization measures is different, but fundamentally they are the same in
On November 3, 2020, voters in Oregon approved Measure 109, paving the way for a regime of psilocybin for therapeutic uses in a few years. Oregon and Psilocybin: Does the Approved Ballot Measure Language Stand a Chance Oregon Psychedelics: Petition to Legalize Psilocybin for Therapy Moves Forward Oregon Psychedelics: Psilocybin on the Ballot this November!
I was talking to another lawyer about last week’s vote by Oregonians to legalize psilocybin therapy here in the state. We discussed how licensed facilities won’t be up and running for a few more years, and how, in the meantime, people will have to make do with general decriminalization under Measure 109 and maybe, in
We are on record here at the law firm in support of Measure 109. We have friends and colleagues who have worked on the campaign and clients who have written checks, large and small. Legal psilocybin in Oregon? We like the sound of that. But do we unconditionally and unapologetically love the ballot measure? No,
The history of psychedelics in religion is long and mysterious, going back multiple millennia to prehistory. While the exact origins of these practices are too far back to determine, archeological evidence suggests mushrooms, DMT and other psychoactive substances have been used in religious ceremonies and rituals for at least 6,000 years. International treaties such as the Single Convention
Last week, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelics Studies (MAPS) made a very big announcement: it had raised $30 million to complete its promising study of MDMA (ecstasy; molly) for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already has granted MAPS “breakthrough therapy” approval based on earlier trials. With its recent cash
Q: I want to study schedule I controlled substances. I want to study marijuana (cannabis), peyote, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca/DMT and ibogaine, to start. A: All of that is possible, but you should choose just one. Q: OK, I want to study cannabis. A: That’s actually one of the hardest. Please choose a better one.
Last Friday, May 22, petitioners submitted to the Oregon Secretary of State a ballot initiative (IP 34) seeking to permit the use of psilocybin for therapeutic use under a licensing and regulatory framework administered by the Oregon Health Authority (“OHA”). The submission was quite a feat, especially given the challenges presented by COVID-19 during the
Earlier this year we wrote about the movement to decriminalize psilocybin – noting its success in Denver, Oakland, and Santa Cruz – and that nearly 100 other cities are looking at decriminalizing psychedelics. (The Psilocybin Movement is Like the Cannabis Movement (Except When It’s Not)). That article posited that psilocybin would move along two tracks
In recent years, the United States has seen a proliferation of ketamine clinics. From 2015 to 2018, the number of clinics increased from 60 to 300; that number is undoubtedly higher today. People are increasingly using ketamine for ailments that resist treatment through traditional pharmaceutical drugs. In an even larger trend, the health care provider
