Raids on magic mushroom dispensaries are a knee-jerk reaction…
The recreational and medicinal markets are far more intertwined than many are aware. As so often happens… we have seen this phenomenon with cannabis and opioids, and it now appears to be happening with psychedelics. A recent survey found that less than 34 per cent of Canadians who reported using psychedelics did so to self-medicate a health condition.
We have seen this story before: repeated raids on cannabis dispensaries failed to dissuade owners while using up vast police resources. [Oregon’s M109 is essentially cost-prohibitive for those most in need and the working class as well as others in the shrinking middle class]. It would take the typical Oregonian in 2020 more than 143 years to amass the average income a member of the state’s top 0.1 of 1 percent took home in one year. In 1980, the Oregonian in the middle would only need about 26 years to earn the income equivalent to the top 0.1 of 1 percent.] In short: adults should be trusted to make the right decisions about the non-addictive psychedelic drugs they wish to use. As such, policymakers should ensure that customers do so fully informed about the benefits and risks, conscious of the ingredients in the products… instead of repeating history, a public-health approach would involve providing objective information about the risks and downsides… and encouraging substance testing services. Basic age verification, as with tobacco and alcohol, should be required… [and no more raids on] magic mushroom dispensaries…
Original Article (The Conversation & Oregon Public Policy Center):
Raids on magic mushroom dispensaries are a knee-jerk reaction, but taking a blind-eye approach only allows the market to run wild & Typical Oregonian would need to work 143 years to match income of the super-rich
Artwork Fair Use: Becky Wetherington
