Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act: Are Mushrooms Legal in Colorado?
Can I have legal psychedelic therapy in Colorado?
The answer is:not quite yet
Recently Colorado voters narrowly approved Proposition 122, the Natural Medicine Health Act. What does it mean? Are mushrooms and psychedelics now legal in Colorado?
The Natural Medicine Health Act: What It Means
The NMHA does two things:
Makes certain psychedelic plants and fungi legal in Colorado for personal use
Starts a 2-year process of creating a Psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) access program where people can receive psilocybin therapy at state-regulated healing centers (after two years, the state may decide to include more types of psychedelics in this program).
Let’s look at each part separately:
Legalizing Psychedelic Plants and Fungi (For Personal Use)
The NMHA also legalizes personal private use, growing and sharing of:
psilocybin and psilocin (compounds contained in magic mushrooms)
DMT (a compound contained in the psychedelic brew Ayahuasca)
Ibogaine (a psychedelic derived from a root found in Africa)
Mescaline (a compound found in several types of cacti - the law excludes using the peyote cactus, mescaline can be found in the San Pedro cactus instead)
Use is limited to those 21 and older. You can’t be under the influence of psychedelics or use them in public, in school or while operating a vehicle.
This means that individuals can grow psychedelic plants and fungi for their own use, can gift them to others and can share them in a group setting (like a spiritual ceremony).
Notably, the law does not allow for any retail sales. There won’t be any mushroom dispensaries in Colorado.
Regulated Psilocybin Services Program
By 2024, Colorado will have legal psychedelic therapy centers
Psychedelic Growth is working on offering psilocybin therapy when licenses become available.
The NMHA directs the state to begin creating a regulated psilocybin services program. Psilocybin services must rollout by late 2024, although the measure could be expanded to include facilitated sessions with ibogaine, mescaline (not derived from peyote), and natural DMT, such as the type contained within ayahuasca, by mid-2026.
The Governor will appoint an Advisory Board who will work out the rules and regulations of the program. The state will issue licenses for:
Producers (those who grow the mushrooms, which will be delivered directly to the healing centers - no retail sales)
Healing Centers (the clinics where people can have psilocybin sessions)
Facilitators (those present to guide psilocybin sessions, they may or may not be licensed mental health professionals)
How To Find Psychedelic Therapy Near Me
If you’re in Colorado, we can offer ketamine therapy either in-person or virtually. At this time, we have to wait for the regulations to be put in place before offering any other types of psychedelic therapy.
Ketamine is a legal psychedelic that addresses depression, anxiety and trauma. In studies:
87% of clients report improvement in depression symptoms
85% of clients report improvement in anxiety symptoms
Contact Us to see if you’re a candidate.