Commissioners may ban psilocybin facilities in county

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, July 5, 2022

ENTERPRISE — A resolution and an ordinance to permanently prohibit the establishment of psilocybin facilities in Wallowa County will be on the agenda Wednesday, July 6, when the Board of Commissioners meets.

The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.

According to the Oregon Health Authority website, Oregon Psilocybin Services is a new section housed within the OHA Public Health Division’s Center for Health Protection. The section will implement Ballot Measure 109, which was passed in November 2020 and directs the OHA to license and regulate the manufacturing, transportation, delivery, sale and purchase of psilocybin products and the provision of psilocybin services.

The section will begin accepting applications for licensure Jan. 2. Until then, the section is in a development period, working to build the nation’s first regulatory framework for psilocybin services.

The resolution and ordinance being considered by the commissioners would prohibit such facilities within the county.

Also on the agenda Wednesday, the commissioners:

• Will hear a presentation by Larisa Bogadus of the Vale office of the federal Bureau of Land Management.

• Initiate a grant from the Wildhorse Foundation for K9 therapy with Community Corrections.

• Take several employee actions, including the hiring of Gavin Collier as a juvenile tracker with the Department of Youth Services and the separation from service of Brooke Langerman as a 911 dispatcher and William Moore as a custodian.