A laboratory technician holds a microdose of psilocybin. (Getty Images)
As Colorado prepares to issue psychedelic mushroom licenses, health care professionals who have watched the rulemaking process unfold say education will be key to the program’s success.
Colorado’s voter-approved natural medicine program will allow licensed facilitators to conduct therapeutic sessions using psilocybin, the active ingredient found in mushrooms. While much of the process working toward implementation of the program has been similar to Colorado’s legalization of cannabis, the execution of the programs will look entirely different.
People will not be able to walk into a healing center and leave with psychedelic mushrooms or other psilocybin products for consumption at a later time, as is the case with cannabis dispensaries. Someone interested in participating will need to go through a screening process to determine any risks of taking natural medicine. If they are deemed an appropriate candidate for psychedelic therapy, they will take natural medicine in a secure, regulated environment with a licensed facilitator to supervise and walk them through the entire experience.
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Regulations for the program are split between two Colorado agencies. The Colorado Department of Revenue regulates natural medicine businesses including healing centers, cultivation sites, manufacturers and testing facilities, and it will license their owners and employees. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies regulates training and licensing for facilitators who will directly engage with people consuming natural medicine.
Both agencies have completed parts of the rulemakng process to implement the bill Colorado lawmakers approved last year to follow up on the voter-approved Proposition 122 , which legalized mushrooms. A spokesperson for DORA said the rules are being drafted for facilitator licensing, which will roll out before the end of the year. Taisa Poinsatte, executive director of the Healing Advocacy Fund in Colorado, said DORA has already approved psychedelic training programs for facilitators through Naropa University in Boulder, the Changa Institute in Oregon and the Integrative Psychiatry Institute in Niwot. Someone who wants to become a facilitator will need to enroll with one of those programs and meet all the requirements before applying for […]
Education about psychedelics will help Colorado program succeed, providers say
