Oregon’s psychedelic mushroom policy advisers face questions over conflict of

The chair of a board advising on the legalisation of psychedelic mushrooms in Oregon has resigned. The move comes after he faced criticism of standing to profit financially from the potentially $1bn industry he is helping to shape.

In 2020, after a landmark US-first vote, Oregon legalized the therapeutic use of psilocybin.

The state governor appointed an advisory board to help implement the trailblazing reforms, for rollout in January next year.

According to local media reports, however, some members of the board have announced or indicated their plans to invest in the industry.

Former chair Tom Eckert, who led the campaign to pass the psilocybin ballot, has created a company to train magic mushroom therapy facilitators.

Other members also said recently that they were intending to pursue business ventures, after it was agreed personal and financial conflicts of interest would be formally disclosed. The board makes non-binding recommendations to Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

Responding to questions from the Guardian ahead of his resignation, Eckert – whose wife, Sheri, with whom he had campaigned for years, died in late 2020 of cardiac arrest, defended his business links.

“In many cases, our perspectives and experiences relate to industry involvement, which was known when we were appointed and is known, through our disclosures, by the board, the public, and the [Oregon Health Authority]. I have disclosed my projects, as have others on the board. I supported the updated policy and will continue to comply with that policy.”

He argued that individual board members use their contacts to help connect “useful people and resources’” to the board. “It is in the board’s interest to seek out and integrate the best information out there, from multiple perspectives, so that we can optimally support the Oregon health authority in building the best statewide program possible.”

On 23 February, the board voted unanimously to disclose personal and financial conflicts of interest at its next meeting on 23 March, when members are also due to vote on a motion to strengthen the board’s policy on disclosures of interest.

However, Eckert resigned last week: “As my life continues to change, with more relationships taking shape, I am mindful of appearances. I do not want anything to distract from the earnest work of this advisory board,” he said in a statement first reported by Marijuana Moment.

“It feels like the right time to orient my energies to the next stage of the journey. I look forward to supporting the development of Oregon’s psilocybin infrastructure in new and different rules.”

Oregon’s cautious experimentation comes as evidence grows of the beneficial effect of magic mushrooms on mental health. A handful of other US states have since moved towards rolling back psychedelic drug prohibitions and providing a legal framework for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.

Campaigners, experts and business people in Oregon – many of whom are…