Portland, Oregon City Council Votes To Deprioritize Police Enforcement Against Psychedelics

In a unanimous decision, the Portland, Oregon City Council voted on Wednesday to officially deprioritize law enforcement activities surrounding the personal use, cultivation and non-commercial sharing of naturally occurring psychedelics.

The newly-passed ordinance carefully distinguishes between different types of substances and activities, designating non-commercial, naturally occurring psychedelics—including psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca—as low-priority targets for the Portland Police Bureau.

However, the council included deliberate caveats in the policy. Peyote, a cactus containing the psychoactive compound mescaline, is explicitly excluded from the deprioritization measure. This exception was written into the framework to protect the ecologically threatened plant species and to honor the exclusive religious practices of Native American communities who have historically relied on it.

The ordinance maintains strict prohibitions against the commercial sale of any psychedelics outside of state-licensed frameworks; it also preserves all existing criminal penalties for impaired driving, leaving driving under the influence of intoxicants strictly forbidden.

Additionally, the measure leaves all existing workplace and professional licensing regulations fully intact, meaning employees and licensed professionals are still subject to their respective occupational standards.

Finally, the ordinance ensures that all local provisions remain entirely subordinate to existing Oregon state laws.

Advocates who championed the measure emphasize that it represents a critical step in reforming drug policy to focus on public health rather than punitive criminal justice. Max Kelemen, Executive Director of the Portland Psychedelic Society, praised the city’s decision as a milestone for community well-being.

“This has been a long, community-led journey shaped by years of organizing, listening, public testimony and conversations with people whose lives and work have been deeply touched by psychedelics,” Kelemen said. “We are standing on the shoulders of indigenous cultures that have stewarded these medicines for millennia, the early psychedelic pioneers whose work was interrupted by criminalization and the war on drugs, and the researchers and advocates who have helped bring this conversation back into public view.”

Kelemen noted that the intent behind the initiative is rooted in providing support for vulnerable populations seeking alternative mental health care.

“At its heart, this effort has always been about equitable access, freedom of consciousness and giving people greater agency over their own healing, spiritual growth and mental health, especially people who have historically been marginalized or excluded from traditional systems of care,” he added.

While Kelemen was careful to clarify the legal boundaries of the new policy, he underscored its practical impact on citizens facing immense mental health hurdles.

“This policy does not legalize or decriminalize naturally occurring psychedelics, but by making their personal, noncommercial use a lowest law enforcement priority and putting Portland Police Bureau’s existing approach into durable public policy, it can reduce fear of arrest and prosecution and create greater psychological safety for people already making these choices,” Kelemen said. “It is a hopeful and measured step that allows Portland to keep exploring new possibilities for mental and behavioral health while focusing limited public safety resources on the issues causing the greatest harm.”

The push for psychedelic policy reform in Portland occurs against the complex backdrop of Oregon’s broader, and sometimes rocky, history with drug decriminalization, including the widely debated Measure 110. Yet, supporters of this specific psychedelic ordinance argue that plant medicines require a distinct approach, particularly for populations dealing with severe trauma.

Amy Charlesworth, a Portland resident, military veteran, Oregon Psilocybin Services Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) member and licensed psilocybin facilitator, spoke to the urgency of providing alternative treatments for those suffering from post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions.

“Portland’s unanimous passage of Ordinance 2026-186 sends a powerful message that people seeking healing should not have to live in fear of unnecessary criminalization,” Charlesworth said. “As a military veteran, and licensed psilocybin facilitator, I’ve seen firsthand how urgently people need new options for addressing trauma and mental health.”

For veterans who often exhaust traditional pharmaceutical options without finding relief, the fear of legal repercussions can be a significant barrier to accessing potentially life-saving natural therapies.

“This ordinance recognizes the growing body of research around the therapeutic potential of psychedelics while prioritizing public health, harm reduction, education, and dignity over punishment,” Charlesworth continued. “For veterans, first responders and everyday Portlanders exploring these tools for healing, this is an important step toward reducing stigma and creating greater reassurance that seeking support for their mental health should not make them a target of law enforcement.”

The local deprioritization vote comes at a pivotal time for psychedelic policy, both in Oregon and nationally. As the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the first psychedelic pharmaceutical compound before the end of the year, Oregon continues to navigate the complexities of its first-in-the-nation legalized psilocybin services program.

Recently, that state-level program faced a significant economic crossroads. Following intense industry pushback from business owners, advocates and patients, the Oregon Health Authority announced it will not proceed with highly controversial proposed plans to double the licensing fees for the state’s regulated psilocybin services program.

Industry advocates and licensed facilitators had warned for months that the steep fee hike could effectively cripple the nation’s first regulated psychedelic access model, forcing service centers to close and driving the cost of legal treatment out of reach for average Oregonians.

With the proposed fee hike officially dropped, the fledgling industry has been granted a crucial reprieve. As Portland steps back from criminalizing the personal use of entheogenic plants, the city continues to cement its reputation as a testing ground for progressive drug policy.

For now, proponents are celebrating the City Council’s vote as a compassionate victory that aligns local law enforcement practices with the rapidly evolving scientific understanding of psychedelics.

This article was produced in partnership with Psychedelic State(s) of America—a nonprofit-sponsored news organization dedicated to rigorous independent psychedelic journalism. Subscribe to PSA online and Follow PSA on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and  Facebook. Learn more about PSA and donate to the PSA Media Fund here. 

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