Colorado will soon see the launch of a program for legal psychedelic-assisted therapies across the state.
Following the approval of a 2022 ballot measure that legalized certain psychedelic substances like psilocybin mushrooms for on-site use at dedicated healing centers, Colorado policymakers have released 107 pages of regulations for the industry. The rules around the groundbreaking program were created by the 14 members of the Natural Medicine Advisory Board, who were appointed by the governor and include experts in both psychedelic and traditional medicine.
On Thursday, Dec. 5, the Healing Advocacy Fund (HAF), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the expansion of state-regulated access to psychedelic healing, held a press briefing to engage the public with Colorado’s burgeoning psychedelic therapy program, which will launch in 2025.
The HAF played a key role in the passage of a similar measure in Oregon over a year ago that legalized regulated psilocybin mushrooms. Oregon currently lists over 350 psilocybin service center licensees in its state directory.
HAF’s Executive Director, Taylor West, stressed the urgency of providing a safe rollout of these healing centers.
“In Colorado, we know that we’re dealing with a mental health crisis, much like we are in the rest of the country,” West said. “That’s part of the reason that psychedelic therapy has been supported by voters and by many in the mental health care field. This current crisis is large and it is ongoing.”
West went on to provide an overview of what Coloradans should expect when the state-regulated program rolls out.
It will be a four-step process that encompasses assessment, screening, preparation and administration.
The primary state agencies responsible for the plan’s implementation will be the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR).
Speakers from HAF wanted to get across that the upcoming program will be heavily regulated. According to HAF, robust training programs will be implemented that practitioners must complete in order to receive their license to facilitate therapy programs.
These trainings encompass:
• 40 hours of supervised, in-person practice
• 50 hours of consultation while providing the services
• 150 hours of coursework (either remote or in-person)
• Basic Life Support Certification
Colorado currently has 10 approved training programs.
Mikki Vogt is a licensed professional mental health and addiction counselor based out of Littleton who believes this new treatment option could be a monumental step for care in Colorado.
“I am six years into a thriving private practice with over a decade of community mental health experience and I also own and steward a wellness center. With Colorado’s psychedelic therapy program set to launch in 2025, I am eager for the huge impact this will have on the health and wellness of our communities,” Vogt said. “I am looking forward to becoming one of Colorado’s first psychedelic therapy facilitators so I can offer this cutting-edge therapy to my clients.”
Vogt worked closely with DORA and DOR to help draft the rules and regulations for the upcoming program. She says she hopes to have her own healing centers open by the end of next year.
One policymaker in attendance was Arapahoe County Commissioner Jessica Campbell.
“It’s no secret that our nation and our state are facing a persistent mental health crisis, and it’s time to embrace innovative treatments that can help make a difference,” Campbell said in support of the move. “That’s why I’m proud to say that Arapahoe County is leading on this issue and ensuring that members of our community who are suffering can benefit from safe, facilitated psilocybin therapy and can access it at designated sites in our community.”
Still some communities in Colorado have pushed back on implementing psychedelic therapy. Local ordinances restricting when and where these centers can operate have been popping up across Colorado.
In Breckenridge, new zoning regulations were introduced that, similar to the town’s restrictions on marijuana vendors, prohibit sites from being in the downtown area or near schools. In the town of Fountain in El Paso County, the city council has been mulling a similar measure.
Colorado Springs’ city government have been moved to adopt zoning adjustments to restrict cultivation, manufacturing, testing and clinical businesses in the natural medicine industry from other industrially zoned areas of the city.
“If we can take an ancient medicine and perhaps turn it into a modern solution, I would not be opposed to that,” said Colorado Springs Councilman David Leinweber in an interview with the Colorado Sun. “I just feel like it needs to be done right. I feel like we have kind of messed up with THC.”
You can watch the full briefing from HAF on YouTube.
