The use of psilocybin is on the ballot again for many Oregon voters

Oregonians voted to legalize the use of the psychedelic drug psilocybin in supervised facilities in 2020. But 27 of the state’s 36 counties now have the issue on their ballots again. The vote will have implications for residents seeking treatment across the Pacific Northwest.
In the spring, Christopher Maddox flew to Mexico to get help. The former Navy SEAL had been suffering from PTSD and substance use disorder for years. At one point, he was on 13 medications. He tried a variety of therapies, but none of them worked.

“It still didn’t really fix the root cause. And the root cause was I hated myself, and I was helpless. I didn’t think there was any way out of it,” he said.

A friend connected him with a treatment center in Mexico that does psilocybin therapy. In April, he flew south for a five-day retreat that included taking seven ounces of the psychedelic mushrooms under the oversight of a coach. He said it was life-changing.

“It allowed me to see everything that I had experienced through my life, everything that had happened to me, everything that I had done to others, all the good, all the bad, all the in-between. And it just allowed me to start processing it,” he said.