Will Medical Magic Mushrooms Make it on the Ballot Next?

By Alex Pietrowski

Oregon recently made international news for passing a state bill to decriminalize possession of some hard drugs like cocaine, meth and heroin, demonstrating a progressive option for an end to the disastrous war on drugs. The motivation for this is largely economic, as Oregon struggles with prison overcrowding; however, we do know that legalizing drugs has many positive benefits, as demonstrated in Portugal.

This is especially true when the emphasis shifts from looking at drugs as a criminal issue to seeing it as a health issue. The researched medical benefits of cannabis has even opened the door for legal recreational weed in several U.S. states, and society is benefiting in many ways.

Pushing the envelope in this regard, a group in Oregon is drafting state legislation for the 2020 ballot to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for use in mental health treatment context within a regulated clinical framework.

In other words, medical mushrooms may be the next move in the war on the war on drugs.

This only makes sense, because not only are mushrooms the world’s safest recreational drugs, but according to a recent study the psychedelic experience brought on by ingesting psilocybin is widely beneficial for mental health and is especially powerful for treating depression and anxiety.

The Oregon Psilocybin Society (OPS) is the first group in the nation preparing draft legislation which would create a legal framework and industry for people to experience psilocybin mushrooms as treatment for personal and mental health issues.

Introducing the idea of ‘psilocybin services,’ OPS is outlining a model for supervised psychedelic experiences:

The Oregon Psilocybin Society (OPS) is proposing a framework for legalizing and regulating the use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychoactive compound produced by more than 200 species of mushrooms. The proposal is being formatted as a ballot initiative measure which aims to make supervised Psilocybin Service — shown safe and effective in research settings — accessible to the public here in Oregon. Under the proposed measure, any individual over 21 years of age, upon attaining medical clearance from a physician, could participate in a sequence of sessions, provided on-site at a state licensed Psilocybin Service Center. The service progression would include, at minimum, a preparation session, a psilocybin administration session, and an integration session. All sessions would be facilitated by trained and certified Psilocybin Service Facilitators who are registered with the state. [Source]

Founders of the OPS, Tom and Sheri Eckert, were recently interviewed by Troy Farah of the Psychedelic Times, and expounded a bit on the idea for such services.

Tom Eckert: The initiative is getting behind the idea of what we call Psilocybin Services, which is basically following cues from the research. That means supervised services, with a progression from assessment and preparation to psychedelic facilitation and integration afterwards.

Sheri Eckert: Right, so it’s regulated: it’s not making it legal to possess psilocybin; it’s making it legal to have a psilocybin experience.

TE: …and to access it through a licensed service center. We want to create pathways for people to get involved with facilitating these services.

SE: At the same time, it’s important to note that it’s not a medical-based service. In other words, you don’t have to be diagnosed with PTSD or depression or something like that in order to have the service, but you would have to be over 21 and cleared medically.

TE: It doesn’t have to be a hospital or a clinic or anything like that, but the psilocybin has to be tied to a place and there have to be regulations around that place to ensure safety, protocol and so forth.

You won’t be growing at home, and you won’t be providing services at home: it will be at specialized brick and mortar facilities. We want to make it community-based, essentially, so it’s not tied up with hospitals and clinics. It is a different model and modality and we’re feeling out what the vision is… and it’s exciting!

In short, OPS is pioneering a potential future where those seeking mental wellness, without depending on pharmaceuticals, may be able to sign up for a mushroom trip with a qualified guide in a registered facility.

Final Thoughts

This is interesting and exciting news for those who understand the positive effects of magic mushrooms, but one has to wonder why grown adults need this many layers of bureaucracy overseeing something as simple and natural as eating a plant that grows abundantly around the world.

Furthermore, who wants to take a trip on mushrooms in a state-authorized facility? Shouldn’t intelligent, responsible adults be free to eat magic mushrooms in a field on a sunny day if they so desire? Why does big brother, the medical establishment, and the police state need to insert itself in an individual’s own exploration of consciousness?

Read more articles by Alex Pietrowski.

Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com. Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life.

This article (Will Medical Magic Mushrooms Make it on the Ballot Next?) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.