City is drafting psilocybin ban question
By Terry Murry on Thursday, July 28th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – Almost 65 percent of Umatilla County’s voters said no when the state was voting on whether to allow the manufacture and distribution of psilocybin, which is a hallucinogen. The measure passed, so now city and county governments are asking voters if they want to ban the services.
At its regular meeting this week, the Hermiston City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance banning psilocybin and to put the question to voters. The question to Hermiston voters will be on the November ballot. Any governments wishing to put the question to its voters must do so in the November election even though the rules governing such services won’t be finished until the end of the year.
“Frankly, the state’s still writing a lot of the rules, but we only get one opportunity to vote one way or the other on it,” Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said. “It feels a lot like you have to pass it to find out what’s in it.”
Umatilla County will have the question on its ballot for those living in unincorporated areas and the city of Pendleton is also working on a similar measure.
