Psychedelic healing and growing centers may soon start popping up in Colorado now that the Natural Medicine Health Act framework is starting to take shape. Applications can be submitted to the state beginning Dec. 31.
Voters approved Proposition 122 in 2022 and since then the 14-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board has come up with a robust framework. The board, appointed by Gov. Jared Polis, is made up of psychedelic experts and medical professionals.
The first year will work with psilocybin mushrooms. Starting in 2026, the program will open up to Ibogaine, Dimethyltryptamine or DMT, and mescalin not derived from the peyote cactus.
There’s no certain date on when growing centers will begin providing psilocybin mushrooms to licensed centers. The city and county of Alamosa have already set up zoning requirements in preparation. However, neither entity has indicated any submitted applications.
Local governments are banned from outright prohibiting licenses, yet are allowed to limit zoning and hours.
The Alamosa City Council passed a “less restrictive” ordinance by a 4-2 vote earlier in December. Natural medicine centers will be restricted to opening within just the commercial business and industrial zones. There will be a public comment period later in January before the city finalizes the ordinance.
The process to open a healing center will be expensive and require a lot of training.
The process to participate in psychedelic healing will also be expensive and will not happen overnight.
There are two types of licenses: A clinical facilitator and facilitator. A clinical facilitator license is for medical and mental health care professionals who wish to expand their existing operations. A facilitator license is for people who are not trained in mental health or medical care.
Both licenses require participating in a 150-hour training program. Applicants also must have 40 hours of supervised work with participants and 40 hours of consultation with participants.
Getting a license could cost upwards of $10,000.
The training programs include robust and in-depth lessons that cover the actual facilitation of psychedelic substances, clinical practices, as well as ethics and regulations. The curriculum was designed by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, or DORA.
Participants who require a higher level of care will have to seek treatment through a licensed clinical facilitator.
There will be healing centers and “micro-healing centers.” Healing centers are dedicated to the practice of psychedelic therapy, while micro-healing centers are essentially add-ons to existing clinics or medical centers.
Anyone in the state of Colorado over the age of 21 can seek a screening. However, insurance will not cover treatment. Sessions could cost up to $1000 each. The hope from natural medicine advocates as well as from the advisory board is that one day insurance providers will recognize alternative forms of therapy.
The in-depth screening process evaluates a person’s mental and medical history to determine suitability for psychedelic treatments.
Once selected, there are three steps: a participation session; an administration session, where the patient is given the substance; and then integration sessions.
Integration sessions will ask the patient to integrate the lessons learned through their psychedelic trips into their normal lives.
Psychedelic sessions can last for up to 12 hours, depending upon a person’s condition and the amount they are administered. A facilitator is responsible for the patient’s safety and well-being before, during and after a session.
Colorado will be looked at closely over the next few years in how successful this program becomes. Oregon was the first state to open similar treatment centers.