Colorado has long been at the forefront of progressive drug policy reform, agreeing to legalize marijuana a decade ago while the city of Denver decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms in 2019. Now, an initiative on the midterm ballot to decriminalize psilocybin statewide and also allow the establishment of state-licensed “healing centers” that offer treatment appears to head for victory. Unlike the legal cannabis market, there won’t be dispensaries handing out psilocybin in Colorado. Rather, the state will certify “facilitators” who will administer the drug at "healing centers" or existing healthcare facilities. It’s not exactly clear how all of this will work, as Oregon is the only other state to have taken a similar step, and the regulated market is not yet operating. The yes vote comes amid a flurry of promising studies showing that psychedelics have the potential to help in the treatment of conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even tobacco and drug addiction. However, opponents including the American Psychiatric Association argued that the measure was outpacing science, noting a lack of any approved therapies that use psychedelic mushrooms and scant scientific evidence that the proposition is good public policy. Much more research and clinical trials are needed to establish whether psychedelics are beneficial in a clinical setting, but once again legalization and decriminalization are moving too fast—and making these potentially dangerous drugs more widely available without safe regulations and oversight.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies