Talent City Council voted in favor of banning psilocybin through a vote. [123rf.com]
Talent residents won’t be asked to vote on a two-year ban on psilocybin facilities after the City Council last week took no action on a proposal.
In November 2020, 69.3% of Talent voters approved State Measure 109, which authorizes the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms under the supervision of a mental health professional.
City Manager Jordan Rooklyn had recommended to the council a vote on a temporary ban on service centers and the manufacture of psilocybin. After 20 minutes of questions and deliberation, no councilors offered a motion to enact the ballot ordinance when Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood called to proceed.
Oregon voters approved the measure authorizing the use and manufacture of psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms, in November 2020 with an effective date of January 1, 2023. The measure allows the jurisdictions can be turned off if local voters approve.
Jurisdictions in Oregon and Jackson County have considered ballot measures calling for outright bans or two-year moratoriums.
“I’m not in favor of putting this on the ballot,” Councilwoman Eleanor Ponomareff said. “In addition to the fact that our community overwhelmingly supported the state measure, I think for the city to take a position would essentially be saying that we would like to withhold this potentially life-saving medical care from the people of the city.”
Companies that wanted to pursue the legal use and manufacture of psilocybin would also be stymied for two years if the moratorium were to pass, Ponomareff said.
“One of the struggles we face is that (the Oregon Health Authority) has not completed its rulemaking process, so we have not been able to review the rules … or determine how they will be implemented or implemented “, he said. Rooklyn. “What the ban does is give us two years. Are there land use regulations that Talent would like to establish? The safe bet is to wait two years and make an assessment of how that launch went. At this point, we have nothing to go on.”
“I can’t stand to put this on the ballot because the residents of Talent and the entire state of Oregon just voted for this, and in Talent pretty significantly,” Councilman Jason Clark said. “I think it’s unfortunate to see the different jurisdictions in the state try to overturn what the voters of Oregon have approved.”
A long history of irrational fears surrounding drugs has led to the destruction of many lives, Clark said. People can use the drug to overcome and cope with difficult psychological challenges, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, other types of trauma, and long-standing addictions.
Recent research has shown promising results with the use of psilocybin, said Clark and counselor David Pastizzo. Pastizzo also discussed the consequences for the city if a measure is not sent to voters.
“I guess we would have to decide what areas we would have it in. We could have that discussion,” Pastizzo said. “I don’t think it would take too much effort to figure it out.”
Ashland and Medford city councils have declined to put measures on the ballot to call for a ban or moratorium, allowing Measure 109 to take effect on Jan. 1.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted to send a measure seeking a ban to voters in unincorporated areas of the county. City councils in Central Point and Phoenix also voted to ban the use and manufacture of psilocybin on the November ballot.
Jackson County voters narrowly approved Measure 109 in November 2020. Statewide, nearly 56% of voters approved the measure. Oregon is the first state to legalize psilocybin for medical use.
About two-thirds of Oregon’s 36 counties are placing a voter ban or moratorium.
Contact Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at tboomwriter@gmail.com.
