Governor Kate Brown has announced the members of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board (the “Board”) created by Oregon Measure 109. Governor Brown’s news release can be found here.
The members of the Board are as follows (and can also be found here):
- Andre Ourso (Public Health Director Designee)
- Dr. Tom Jeanne (State Health Officer Designee)
- Barb Hansen (Oregon Health Policy Board Designee)
- Ali Hamade (State Employee with Public Health Experience)
- Dr. Sarah Present (Local Health Officer)
- Kevin Fitts (Addictions Medicine Specialist)
- Dr. Kimberley Golletz (Licensed Psychologist)
- Dr. Todd Korthius (Licensed Physician)
- Mason Marks (Academic Researcher)
- Dr. Jessie Uehling (Mycologist)
- Angela Carter (Harm Reduction Specialist)
- Dr. Atheir Abbas (Psychopharmacologic Specialist)
- Nathan Rix (Oregon Liquor Control Commission)
- David Hart (Oregon Department of Justice)
- Tom Eckert (Chief Petitioner)
- Stephanie Barss (At-Large Member)
- Dr. Rachel Knox (At-Large Member)
Three of the members (Andre Ourso, Dr. Tom Jeanne, and Ali Hamade) are from the Oregon Health Authority (the “OHA”). Two (Dr. Todd Korthius and Dr. Atheir Abbas) are from Oregon Health Science University.
Although the Governor’s news release does not expressly state so, it appears from the descriptions provided in the release that Andre Ourso, Dr. Tom Jeanne, and Barb Hansen are the three nonvoting ex officio members of the Board provided for in Sections 6(1)(a)(B-E) and 6(2)(b) of Measure 109.
It also appears that the Board is missing two people. The Board does not have a licensed naturopathic physician, which is required by Section 6(1)(b)(D) of Measure 109. Further, the Board is missing one person from the “four-out-of-seven” grouping in Section 6(1)(b)(A). The Governor may make additional appointments to the Board to fill these slots.
Although the Governor’s appointments missed the February 28, 2021 deadline set forth in Measure 109 by a few weeks, the Governor’s release states that the Board will meet by March 31, 2021, as required by Measure 109. The date, time, and location of the first meeting has not yet been announced.
Measure 109 requires the Board to meet at least once every two months during Measure 109’s two-year development period, although it is possible that the Board will meet more frequently than that. It is also possible that the Board will establish various committees and subcommittees along the way.
Measure 109 also requires the Board to elect one of its voting members as chairperson, which may happen at the first meeting.
The timeline for Measure 109’s implementation is as follows:
- March 31, 2021 – The Board holds its first meeting.
- June 30, 2021 – The Board makes recommendations to the OHA on studies, research, and educational information.
- July 31, 2021 – The OHA first publishes studies, research, and educational information.
- June 30, 2022 – The Board makes recommendations to the OHA regarding: (i) rules and regulations; (ii) a long-term strategic plan; and (iii) federal laws and policies.
- December 31, 2022 – The OHA adopts rules and regulations and prescribes license application and other forms.
- January 2, 2023 – The OHA begins receiving the first license applications.
We will blog about Measure 109 frequently during the two-year development period leading up to January 2, 2023. Also, the OHA has a Measure 109 implementation page on its website that can be found here.
If you have questions concerning Measure 109 or any other laws involving psilocybin, entheogenic plants, or psychedelics in general, please contact attorneys Dave Kopilak, Kathryn Tucker, Sean Clancy, Kaci Hohmann, or Alex Berger from our Psychedelics Practice Group.
