2020 Oregon Ballot Measure 109
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
![]() | 1,270,057 | 55.75% |
![]() | 1,008,199 | 44.25% |
Total votes | 2,214,856 | 100.00% |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/2020_Oregon_Measure_109_results_map_by_county.svg/300px-2020_Oregon_Measure_109_results_map_by_county.svg.png)
Yes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
No: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
In 2020, voters in the U.S. state of Oregon passed Ballot Measure 109, also known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act,[2] allowing the "manufacture, delivery and administration" of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug.[3] While psilocybin remains illegal nationally, the passage of the law made Oregon the first U.S. state to legalize the drug. Per the law, psilocybin must be used for "personal development" and grown and administered in licensed environments. The ballot measure put in place a two-year period for the government to determine regulations around the law's implementation, such as what credentials will be needed for someone to administer the drug.[4]
The chief petitioners behind the bill were Thomas Eckert and his late first wife, Sheri Eckert, both therapists who had been working for years to legalize psilocybin because of its potential benefit for people struggling with conditions including depression, anxiety, and addiction. To get the initiative (called the Psilocybin Service Initiative, or Initiative Petition #34) on the November 2020 ballot, 112,020 signatures of support from Oregonians had to be collected.[5] On November 3, 2020, Ballot Measure 109 was passed with support from 1.27 million Oregonians, or 55.75% of the vote (according to unofficial results from the Oregon Secretary of State in the days following the election).[6]
Vote tallies by county:
County | Yes | Votes | No | Votes | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baker | 36.42 | 3,479 | 63.58 | 6,073 | 9,552 |
Benton | 63.39 | 32,276 | 36.61 | 18,639 | 50,915 |
Clackamas | 52.40 | 128,890 | 47.60 | 117,098 | 245,988 |
Clatsop | 55.02 | 12,707 | 44.98 | 10,388 | 23,095 |
Columbia | 50.84 | 15,827 | 49.16 | 15,307 | 31,134 |
Coos | 45.33 | 16,034 | 54.67 | 19,334 | 35,368 |
Crook | 35.47 | 5,301 | 64.53 | 9,643 | 14,944 |
Curry | 50.39 | 7,234 | 49.61 | 7,123 | 14,357 |
Deschutes | 52.80 | 63,841 | 47.20 | 57,064 | 120,905 |
Douglas | 39.83 | 24,751 | 60.17 | 37,386 | 62,137 |
Gilliam | 35.57 | 408 | 64.43 | 739 | 1,147 |
Grant | 33.37 | 1,487 | 66.63 | 2,969 | 4,456 |
Harney | 29.91 | 1,283 | 70.09 | 3,007 | 4,290 |
Hood River | 63.23 | 7,964 | 36.77 | 4,632 | 12,596 |
Jackson | 51.19 | 62,692 | 48.81 | 59,774 | 122,466 |
Jefferson | 40.63 | 4,662 | 59.37 | 6,811 | 11,473 |
Josephine | 46.30 | 22,615 | 53.70 | 26,225 | 48,840 |
Klamath | 39.79 | 14,056 | 60.21 | 21,268 | 35,324 |
Lake | 29.03 | 1,209 | 70.97 | 2,955 | 4,164 |
Lane | 59.88 | 127,241 | 40.12 | 85,262 | 212,503 |
Lincoln | 57.64 | 17,055 | 42.36 | 12,535 | 29,590 |
Linn | 44.74 | 31,423 | 55.26 | 38,814 | 70,237 |
Malheur | 30.58 | 3,475 | 69.42 | 7,890 | 11,365 |
Marion | 49.42 | 78,389 | 50.58 | 80,216 | 158,605 |
Morrow | 34.11 | 1,689 | 65.89 | 3,263 | 4,952 |
Multnomah | 71.19 | 318,425 | 28.81 | 128,871 | 447,296 |
Polk | 48.60 | 22,730 | 51.40 | 24,039 | 46,769 |
Sherman | 34.42 | 400 | 65.58 | 762 | 1,162 |
Tillamook | 51.57 | 8,429 | 48.43 | 7,916 | 16,345 |
Umatilla | 36.02 | 11,330 | 63.98 | 20,126 | 31,456 |
Union | 37.94 | 5,453 | 62.06 | 8,921 | 14,374 |
Wallowa | 34.90 | 1,742 | 65.10 | 3,249 | 4,991 |
Wasco | 50.61 | 6,880 | 49.39 | 6,713 | 13,593 |
Washington | 59.10 | 180,112 | 40.90 | 124,626 | 304,738 |
Wheeler | 34.84 | 323 | 65.16 | 604 | 927 |
Yamhill | 50.26 | 28,245 | 49.74 | 27,957 | 56,202 |
Implementation
The Oregon Health Authority runs the Oregon Psilocybin Services program, which is creating regulations and issuing licenses for all aspects of the program. They began accepting applications for licensure on January 2, 2023. After that date, treatment providers who are licensed, using tested psilocybin from licensed suppliers, were able to legally screen and treat individuals with psilocybin in Oregon. The program posted draft regulations for public notice and comment in April 2022. In the 2022 midterm elections, however, a total of 102 incorporated cities and 25 counties in the state voted, temporarily or permanently, to prohibit psilocybin-related business from being conducted within specified areas.[7]
As of 2024, psilocybin therapy is permitted in the following counties: Benton, Columbia, Deschutes, Hood River, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln, Multnomah, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill. Clackamas and Clatsop, meanwhile, have only temporarily opted out, and both are expected to permit psilocybin therapy as soon as 2025.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Election Results". Associated Press. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Oregon Measure 109 Election Results: Legalize Psilocybin". The New York Times. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ "Most Oregon ballot measures pass on Election Day". KATU. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ Acker, Lizzy (2020-11-03). "Oregon becomes first state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ Acker, Lizzy (2019-09-06). "Oregon is one step closer to being the first state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ "GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 3, 2020". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ "Oregon Psilocybin - April 2022 Public Comment Period". Oregon Health Authority. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
External links
- "Oregon Psilocybin Services Act (as enacted by the voters)" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- "Oregon Psilocybin Services". Oregon Health Authority. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- An early draft of the Act (which was later revised before the vote) on the Oregon Secretary of State's website