The Seattle Times The Seattle Times
Oregon's psilocybin program bets on fairness as licensed operators push back
Oregon's psilocybin program started with a lot of hope. The idea was simple: give people legal access to a treatment that research keeps showing could genuinely change lives. But the numbers tell a different story. Licenses have dwindled since the program launched, and now the licensed operators who stuck it out are pushing back. They're saying the system isn't fair, and honestly, that tracks.
I'm a practical optimist, so I get that big experiments take time to find their footing. But when the people who actually showed up to build this thing feel like the rules are working against them, that's a real problem. You can't scale a program on vibes and good intentions. If Oregon wants this to work, it has to make sure the folks on the ground aren't getting squeezed out. Fairness isn't a side quest; it's the whole game.
That said, there's a bigger lesson here about institutions trying to do something new. It reminds me of how universities handle change, too. We just ran a piece on what Cornell got right about rebuilding trust through purpose. It's a solid read if you want to see how clarity of mission can hold a place together when things get messy. Because whether you're running a state program or a campus, people need to believe the system has their back. Right now, Oregon's operators are still waiting on that. I hope someone's listening.
