Advocates say they need to spread the word about the benefits of taking a psychedelic trip under supervision
A year in, Oregon’s experiment with the first regulated psilocybin mushroom market in the world is short on customers.
To attract them, advocates say the industry needs to get the word out about its benefits.
“We think everybody knows that psychedelics can help them because we’re in this little bubble. But 99% of people have no idea what they could get out of a journey,” said Heidi Venture, founder of a Hood River mushroom center, Vital Reset, where customers undergo supervised “trips” on psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms. A Golden Teacher mushroom is displayed at Epic Healing Eugene, Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin service center, on Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in Eugene, Ore. She was among about 100 local psilocybin entrepreneurs who attended a recent industry conference in Portland. Attendees included business owners like Venture who run state-licensed centers where customers can trip on mushrooms, and trained guides, known as facilitators, who accompany them on the hours-long journey.
The conference was hosted by the Psilocybin Assisted Therapy Association, a nonprofit that’s trying to raise awareness of the health and spiritual benefits detailed in studies on the supervised use of psychedelics like psilocybin.
Panelists recalled a year of challenges, red tape and waning interest in guided mushroom trips under Oregon’s pioneering legal model, but also life-changing experiences for clients. They pledged to share information and lobby lawmakers for regulatory improvements.
A majority of Oregon voters in 2020 approved Measure 109, which directed the Oregon Health Authority to create a legal system for offering psilocybin. Unlike marijuana , customers can only buy and use psilocybin mushrooms under the watchful eye of a state-licensed facilitator and in a service center like Vital Reset. Prices usually range between $800 and $2,500 for a trip and two therapeutic sessions with a facilitator – although advocates say discounts are often available. Activists in other states are watching Oregon’s experiment closely, including in Colorado, which is debuting a more relaxed system. Like Oregon, that state will license centers and facilitators but […]
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