Advocates for people at the end of their lives say Oregon needs to fix an oversight in its groundbreaking law
When Alison Grayson first met John, she was struck by his enduring sense of humor. Amid terrible nausea from chemotherapy, he still cracked nerdy jokes.
“When somebody is approaching a terminal diagnosis and end of life, but is still able to maintain that sense of humor and that individuality — he was just so thoroughly himself, and that holds space in my heart very much,” Grayson said. Working with John as a death doula, Grayson tried to help him find peace amid anxiety over reaching the end of his life. (John’s name has been changed to protect his medical privacy.) Alison Grayson is certified to oversee the use of psilocybin in Oregon. She and other facilitators are part of a lawsuit against the state seeking to expand access to the drug to people who are homebound. Speaking on Oct. 23, 2024, Grayson said she had one client die from terminal illness before she could provide him with treatment because he could not physically travel to a licensed psilocybin facility.
Jenn Chávez / OPB Some studies have found that people with terminal cancer diagnoses can feel closure or comfort after taking psilocybin mushrooms. Grayson, who is licensed to guide people through psilocybin experiences under Oregon law, thought John might benefit from the experience as well. John was intrigued, and Grayson started the intake process for him to become one of her psilocybin clients. He would first undergo a screening session, and then, per state law, he could receive psilocybin at a licensed center.
Grayson waited for John’s symptoms to relent, a day when he might feel well enough to travel to a licensed service center, she said as she sat cross-legged in a plush, mid-century chair on the second floor of an old Craftsman in Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood. The house was a salon and a marijuana dispensary before becoming a psilocybin service center called Project Circle — one of the licensed locations where John could have had a session.
“We had everything lined […]
Psilocybin in Oregon may help address fears of death, but people can’t always access it
