Colorado is in its psychedelic era.
In 2022, voters agreed to decriminalize psilocybin , known better to some as magic mushrooms. Since then, the state has been working on developing framework and regulations for using the psychedelic mushrooms under supervision . That work is still underway, even as the state is set to start accepting applications later this year for "natural healing centers," which would be staffed by so-called "facilitators" who would supervise psilocybin use. Harvested home grows psilocybin mushrooms in Colorado It’s what Courtneyrose Chung, founder and clinical director of My Denver Therapy , is hoping to do. She currently runs mental health support practices in Denver, Greenwood Village and Lone Tree.
"I kind of started it under the umbrella of trauma," said Chung. "We have licensed professional counselors, family therapists, social workers … and a nurse practitioner, specifically for this new space we’re entering into with the psychedelics."
One day soon, Chung wants to provide assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin.
"This particular drug can have a profound impact on people’s brains in really as little as two sessions," Chung said. "Some research has been done on OCD, on treatment-resistant depression… anxiety, PTSD."
Now that Colorado is in the process of medicalizing mushrooms, Chung is another step closer to helping numerous patients she believes would benefit from the drug.
"Since this law was passed, we have had thousands of people email trying to see if it’s available yet and if they can get in," she said.
However, as the state is still working on regulations, there are a lot of questions up in the air.
"The potential benefits of psilocybin," said Chung, "I don’t think the greater public understands or they think, ‘Oh, people are just tripping, and then something happens.’"To help answer questions and determine the best next steps for licensure, the Denver Department of Excise and License is forming a workgroup. It will explore what policy and licensing laws should look like in the city, while the state-wide regulations are also being developed."I think a lot of citizens have questions, we as the city and as regulators have a lot of questions," Molly Duplechian, Executive […]
Denver wants your help developing policy for magic mushrooms
