MEDFORD, Ore. – A local lawyer is petitioning to get psilocybin on next year’s ballot.
Psilocybin is more commonly known as “magic mushrooms”.
Proponents say it contains a chemical that causes hallucinations and can treat anxiety, depression, addictions and mental health-related issues.
Local lawyer Nicholas Phillips took mushrooms legally when he was going through a depression. He said it helped him see life differently.
“What I am is not my physical body, not my flesh and blood and my name and my life experiences and that whole bundle of things that we call the ego, but actually for what I am is pure consciousness experiencing the world,” Phillips said.
If a person was going through a mental health crisis, they would have to get a prescription from a doctor.
That patient would then have three sessions.
At the first session, the patient would talk with a licensed professional about the drug and what to expect. The second day, the patient would take the drug in a controlled environment with a trained professional present. In the third session, the person would talk with the therapist or trained professional about what they experienced and how they can change their life.
“Maybe you thought about some things you want to change about your life, maybe you’re drinking too much and you received a clear message, or maybe you thought about your childhood and you would want to talk things through,” Phillips said.
Right now Phillips is collecting signatures to get it on the May 2020 ballot.
Backers of the proposal need 112,000 signatures to get it on the 2020 ballot.
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