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Voters will weigh several statewide ballot measures in the November election.

Campaign contribution limits, new tobacco taxes, legalizing psilocybin for therapeutic use and decriminalizing drug possession each pose thorny public policy questions.

Measure 107

Oregon has been among a handful of states with no limits on political campaign contributions.

Measure 107 would amend the state Constitution to allow laws that limit campaign contributions and spending, require disclosure of campaign finance activity and require political advertising to identify the sponsors.

The Oregon Supreme Court ruled in April that a $500 contribution limit in Multnomah County did not violate free speech protections in the Constitution, a ruling that suggested new limits on campaign money would be legal across the state.

The ballot measure would leave no doubt. The Legislature, local governments and voters, through the initiative process, would be able to set limits.

We think some of the rhetoric about money in politics is exaggerated. The same First Amendment that protects the rights of The Astorian to make political endorsements enables individuals, corporations and labor unions to spend money to influence elections.

But reasonable limits on campaign contributions and disclosure requirements do not foreclose free speech.

Vote “yes.”

Measure 108

Looking to discourage smoking and vaping and raise money for public health, state legislators have recommended a sizable cigarette tax increase and a new tax on e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping devices.

Measure 108 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $2 — to $3.33. The cap on cigar taxes would climb to $1, up from 50 cents. The new tax on e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping devices would be 65% of the wholesale price.

The taxes could generate more than $331 million in the next two-year state budget cycle. Ninety percent would go to the Oregon Health Plan and other public health programs and 10% would go to preventing tobacco use.

We know taxes on sales disproportionately affect low-income residents. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists smoking as the leading cause of preventable death, and many low-income residents rely on the Oregon Health Plan for their medical care.

We also believe the new tax on e-cigarettes and vaping makes sense, particularly given the increase in vaping among young people.

Vote “yes.”

Measure 109

Therapists who see the potential of psilocybin — a hallucinogen drawn from mushrooms — to treat depression and other mental health conditions want to legalize the drug for use by people 21 and over at licensed service centers.

Under Measure 109, no licenses would be issued until after a two-year development period overseen by the Oregon Health Authority. A sales tax would be imposed on psilocybin products.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a potential breakthrough therapy for depression, but it remains a Schedule I drug under federal law, meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

The Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association opposes the measure, warning that “science does not yet indicate that psilocybin is a safe medical treatment for mental health conditions.”

We believe the idea should be vetted by mental health experts and the Legislature, not voters.

Vote “no.”

Measure 110

There is an emerging consensus in Oregon that treatment, not punishment, is the best approach to drug addiction.

But treatment advocates are divided over Measure 110, which would decriminalize lower-level drug possession and divert marijuana tax money to fund new addiction recovery centers across the state.

Criminal penalties for drug possession — 1 gram or less of heroin; 2 grams or less of cocaine or methamphetamine, for example — would be eliminated. Possession would result in a $100 fine or completion of a health assessment. Possession of larger amounts of drugs — but not commercial scale — would be reduced to misdemeanors.

A financial impact statement prepared by the state found the measure would reduce marijuana tax revenue that goes to schools, mental health programs, the state police and local governments.

Several leading addiction and mental health treatment providers oppose the measure, arguing it would destabilize existing programs. The Oregon Council for Behavioral Health cautioned that it “provides no new funding, destroys pathways to treatment and recovery and fails to address racial injustice in our systems by decriminalizing a narrow set of charges without resource for larger system innovation.”

We think the Legislature is better equipped to evaluate these issues.

Vote “no.”