Psychedelic Exceptionalism: The Oregon Example

By Trevor Findley, Clinical Instructor. Originally published in The American Journal of Bioethics on January 13, 2025

This article adds to the developing discussion about how psychedelics should be regulated in the United States, and whether they warrant exceptional treatment. 

The commentary focuses specifically on the State of Oregon, where recent drug policy reforms have created a state-regulated program to facilitate psilocybin use, alongside decriminalization and subsequent recriminalization of other drugs. 

This “psychedelic exceptionalism,” where classes of drugs with a similar risk profile are treated differently, is what drug policy expert Dr. Carl Hart has warned about, as it perpetuates racial disparities in the criminal legal system.

Read the resource.