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Medford council postpones action on psilocybin ban By Damian Mann Updated: Jul 22, 2022 03:22 PM A A A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles in 2019. Medford City Council decided Thursday it needs more time to study psilocybin before deciding whether to ask voters to ban magic mushrooms. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) A lack of information about a proposed psilocybin ban prompted Medford City Council to delay a vote on the issue Thursday night. Councilor Clay Bearnson led the charge to hold a special session July 28 and then to vote Aug. 4 on a possible ballot measure asking Medford voters to ban psilocybin. He said taking any action without adequate information would be skirting its responsibility to local residents who would benefit from psilocybin therapy to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction treatment, mental health and other problems “I’m disappointed at how this was brought to the council,” he said. The council was scheduled to vote on sending a ballot measure to voters for either a permanent ban on psilocybin treatment within the city or a two-year ban. By delaying the vote on a ballot measure, the council risks running out of time to qualify for the Nov. 8 election, particularly if the ballot measure faces a legal challenge. In November 2020, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 109, the Oregon Psilocybin Service Act, which allows for manufacture, delivery and administration of psilocybin at licensed facilities. Supporters of magic mushroom therapy say it can be used to treat depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. Psilocybin is the active chemical in “magic mushrooms” that can cause hallucinations and also helps patients work through their traumas in a therapeutic setting. The psilocybin law will allow anyone age 21 or older to seek treatment from a licensed therapy center. Unlike cannabis, psilocybin cannot be used at home or recreationally. The Oregon Health Authority will begin processing applications for psilocybin licenses Jan. 2, 2023, but rule-making efforts to help cities establish time, place and manner regulations won’t be concluded until sometime later this year. While Oregon voters approved the ballot measure, Medford voters rejected the measure by 800 votes. Jackson County as a whole approved the measure. Bearnson and other councilors said the proposed ban in Medford only came to light in the past few weeks, not allowing enough time to study the ramifications of a ban. “I’m curious why we’re just hearing about this when (Measure) 109 passed two years ago,” he said. He warned that psilocybin therapy could help someone, and a ban could potentially lead to a local resident committing suicide or stabbing someone. “That’s on us,” Bearnson said. Councilor Alex Poythress said, “I will not support moving this ballot measure to the voters until we know what we’re talking about.” Councilors said they didn’t have anything against the use of psilocybin in a therapeutic situation, but they worried there wouldn’t be sufficient guidance from OHA to properly implement the law locally. “We’re kind of in limbo here,” Councilor Tim D’Alessandro said. “There are too many unknowns.” He said the two-year opt out keeps the door open for psilocybin therapy in the future. Several Jackson County residents pleaded with the council to allow psilocybin therapy within the city. Drew Snyder, a mental health counselor, said he had been in the Army but found his mental health unraveling after tours of duty overseas. After leaving the Army, he said, he frequently contemplated suicide, and a last-ditch effort to regain some mental stability led him to psilocybin. “I’d never consumed a single drug in my life,” Snyder said. “I finally took some.” He said his family noticed an almost immediate improvement in his mental outlook. “It allowed me to deal with many underlying wounds in my psyche,” Snyder said. He urged the council to consider the impact that a psilocybin ban could have on veterans like himself who would benefit from the treatment. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].