COVE — The Cove City Council will hold a special session at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, to consider an ordinance declaring a ban on psilocybin service centers and the manufacture of psilocybin products.

The ordinance, if approved, would also be referred to voters for approval in the Nov. 8 election. The ordinance would impose a two-year moratorium that has a sunset date of Dec. 31, 2024. The moratorium would be repealed on that date.

Copies of Ordinance 2022 are available to the public at Cove City Hall, 504 Alder St., during office hours 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The public can join the council meeting from a computer, tablet or smartphone by going to meet.goto.com/CityofCove or dialing 877-309-2073 and using access code 566-891-733.

Cove joins the La Grande City Council and Union County Board of Commissioners in asking their voters to consider banning the psychedelic drug from being sold in the county’s unincorporated areas before a state-managed system takes effect in January.

The La Grande City Council declared an emergency on Aug. 3 in order to refer an ordinance banning psilocybin service centers within La Grande city limits to voters, while the Union County Board of Commissioners voted on Aug. 3 to refer a proposed ordinance to ban prohibit the sale and manufacturing of psilocybin products in unincorporated portions of the county.

The sale and manufacturing of psilocybin in Oregon is set to become legal in 2023 after voters approved Measure 109 in 2020. If the board of commissioners does not refer the proposed ordinance to voters, Measure 109 will go into effect in unincorporated portions of Union County. It would also go into effect if the proposed ordinance were rejected by voters.

Measure 109 passed with a 56% majority in Oregon in 2020 but voters in Union County rejected it.