Somewhat buried among the more obvious Election Day news about races too close to call was that of drug-related ballot measures — with New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona voting to legalize recreational marijuana (and Mississippi’s votes on the matter still being tallied), and Oregon becoming the first state to decriminalize small amounts of other drugs, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Separately, Oregon voters approved Measure 109, legalizing psilocybin — the main chemical property of psychedelic mushrooms — for therapeutic use in a supervised setting, with the aim of treating depression and other mental health conditions.
“With Measure 109, we have planted the psychedelic flag, respecting the ancient traditions while blazing a trail into the future,” noted Tom and Sheri Eckert, the husband-and-wife therapist couple behind the long push for psilocybin legalization, in a Wednesday Facebook message to supporters on their Oregon Psilocybin Society page.
