Then (1992), Food of the Gods
The Decriminalization Models McKenna Called For: Oregon, Colorado, and What Came Next
McKenna's policy claim was simple and radical: the prohibition of consciousness-expanding plants was unjust, counterproductive, and philosophically incoherent. He called for decriminalization without specifying a mechanism, his argument was philosophical rather than legislative.
partially-confirmed
Oregon's Measure 110 (2020): decriminalized personal possession of all drugs, including psilocybin. Oregon's Measure 109 (2020): created licensed psilocybin services, the first regulated psychedelic therapy framework in the US. Colorado's Proposition 122 (2022): decriminalized personal possession of psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline. Colorado's Prop 122 also created a 'natural medicine' licensing framework. Oregon's Measure 110 was repealed in 2024, decriminalization without social services failed politically. Measure 109 psilocybin services remain intact. The decriminalization McKenna called for has been partially achieved, partially reversed, and is being rebuilt on a more sustainable model (services framework rather than pure decriminalization). His philosophical case has not been accepted by the political mainstream but has been enacted in several jurisdictions.
Sources
- Oregon Measure 109 (2020)
- Colorado Proposition 122 (2022)
- Oregon HB 4002 (Measure 110 repeal, 2024)