The "What Is This World Coming To!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about people in the state of Oregon tripping on magic mushrooms.  Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and tie-dye mattresses await those heading to an office suite in Eugene to trip on magic mushrooms.  For roughly six hours, adults over the age of 21 can experience what many visitors describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and oneness with the universe.  And...it all happens in a small room!  America's first licensed psilocybin service center opened this past June, marking Oregon's unprecedented step in offering the mind-bending drug to the pubic.  So, my friends, what's next?  The center has a waitlist of more than 3,000 names, including people with depression, PTSD or end-of-life dread.  No doctor's prescription or hospital referral is needed, but proponents hope Oregon's legalization will spark a revolution in mental health care.  I'm not sure if that means the service center will help you or will make you in need of help after you experience what goes on at the center.  Colorado voters last year passed a measure allowing regulated use of magic mushrooms starting in 2024, and California's Legislature this month approve a measure that would allow possession and use of certain plant-and mushroom-based psychedelics, including psilocybin and mescaline, with plans for health officials to develop guidelines for therapeutic use.  Hundreds of thousands of inquiries from all over the world have been flooding into Oregon asking how they can sign up.  So far, what we're hearing is that clients have had positive experiences.  While psilocybin remains illegal in most of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration in 2018 designated it as "breakthrough therapy."  Yeah...right!!  This summer, the FDA published draft guidance for researchers designing clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.  Researchers believe psilocybin changes the way the brain organizes itself, helping a user adopt new attitudes and overcoming mental health issues.  The Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association, however, opposed Oregon's 2020 ballot measure legalizing psilocybin saying it "is unsafe and makes misleading promises to those Oregonians who are struggling with mental illness."  Angela Allbee, the agency's manager, noted that psychedelic mushrooms have been a part of tribal spiritual and healing practices for thousands of years.  Her agency is focused on safety, she said.  First, customers must have a preparation session with a licensed facilitator who stays with clients as they experience the drug.  The facilitator can deny access to those who have active psychosis or thoughts of harming anyone.  So, how long before Oregon is flooded by thousands of people wanting to move to their state.  They might even move into a campground with a tent if they know they would be able to have access to those magic mushrooms.  Someone has to be making a fortune on this!  And, my guess is that a few years from now, many more states will legalize the magic mushrooms after seeing how much money it brings into the state via taxes.  I just have to see where I can find a local field that I can rent and buy myself a bunch of those psychedelic mushrooms and plant them.  Before long we'll all be tripping on those funny mushrooms and have mental health issues!!  What's this world coming to...an end!  For once in my lifetime, I'm sort of glad I'm old!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.