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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022 from 12:00-1:30pm PST
Oregon is one of the states in the US that has been making remarkable legislative changes in regards to psychedelics, particularly with psilocybin mushrooms with the passing of Measure 109. While this may seem promising and progressive, there are many things to consider when looking at the details of these legislative changes as well as the bigger picture. In this forum, speakers will discuss how Oregon may not be the oasis that some think it is. This discussion will offer a brief overview of the range of contemporary religious practices using psychedelics and how Oregon might decide to accommodate them, the limitations on religious activities that occur under Measure 109, why Oregon religious protections must be available also to the “non-religious”, the potential to “export” Oregon psilocybin religions into other states that adopted their own “mini RFRAs” (Religious Freedom Restoration Acts), advancements that are being made in other states like Washington and Colorado, and matters of racial justice, cultural justice and equity, and health equity at large. Along the way, we’ll invite questions from attendees and endeavor to answer all that you ever wanted to know about legislations related to psychedelics in the US, particularly in Oregon.
Dr. Mason Marks is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, a Senior Fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, an affiliated fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, and an attorney at Harris Bricken. At Harvard, Mason leads the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR), the first academic program focused on psychedelics law, policy, and ethics. In 2021, Governor Kate Brown appointed Mason to the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, which advises the Oregon Health Authority on the creation of a statewide psilocybin industry. He chairs the Board’s Licensing Subcommittee. Mason’s academic writing has been published or will appear soon in the Duke Law Journal, Nature Medicine, the UC Irvine Law Review, the UC Davis Law Review, the Administrative Law Review, the Yale Journal Law and Technology, the NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, and books by Cambridge University Press.
Dr. Rachel Knox, MD, MBA is a cannabinoid medicine specialist and endocannabinologist with a background in family, integrative, and functional medicine. With her family she founded Doctors Knox, Inc., American Cannabinoid Clinics, and Pivital Edu. Outside of clinical care and education, Dr. Knox is a policy and regulatory consultant on cannabis and psychedelic health equity. She is co-founder and president of the Cannabis Health Equity Movement™ (CHEM), and chair of the Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine (ACHEM) and CHEM Allyance. She serves her home state as the immediate past chair of the Oregon Cannabis Commission, member of Portland’s Cannabis Policy Oversight Team and Oregon’s Psilocybin Advisory Board, and board member of NuLeaf PDX. She also sits on several national boards including Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition (CRCC), Doctors for Cannabis Regulation (DFCR), Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine (AACM), and US Cannabis Council.
Jon Dennis is an entrepreneur, a consultant and principal at Psychedelics Go, and an Oregon lawyer at Sagebrush Law. He is the co-host of “Eyes on Oregon,” a podcast by Psychedelics Today exploring the latest developments in Oregon’s legal psilocybin landscape. Jon’s professional interests include psychedelic wellness retreats, religious use of plant and fungi medicines, equity in psychedelics, facilitator training programs, cultivation and production, drug policy, and Oregon’s Psilocybin Services Act (aka Measure 109). Jon has taken the North Star Ethics Pledge and is drawn to this work by the conviction that psychedelics can help catalyze positive change. Prior to joining Psychedelics Go, Jon worked as a civil litigator and managed a nonprofit law office giving free legal assistance to people living in poverty. Jon has a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School. He lives in Ontario, Oregon.
This talk will be recorded and immediately available for rewatch for all attendees.
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