In the upcoming years, Colorado residents over 21 could be legally using, growing and sharing psychedelic mushrooms if used for medical or spiritual purposes.
On Tuesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued eight proclamations from voter-approved ballot measures and propositions including Proposition 122 which is designed to regulate access for medical purposes to some psychedelics that occur in plants and mushrooms.
It also introduces “healing centers” where trained facilitators can offer psychedelic-assisted sessions. Coloradans will get safe access to psychedelics via the centers which will be regulated by the Department of Regulatory Agencies.
At first, the proposition will only create regulations around psilocybin but beginning in June 2026 the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies could expand the policy change and add DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. The tiered legal framework strategy is to give enough time to develop appropriate legal structures as legalization is rolled out.
This November, Colorado’s Proposition 122 Decriminalization and Regulated Access Program for Certain Psychedelic Plants and Fungi Initiative Ballot Question had a 53.6 per cent acceptance in 2.4 million votes.
Yesterday, Governor Jared Polis signed executive order D-2022-049, approving Colorado's Natural Medicine Health Act (Proposition 122). Five #psychedelics are now partially decriminalized in #Colorado.
Read Polis's executive order here: https://t.co/ett2aV5kh9 https://t.co/PW9iTbwwmh
— Mason Marks, MD, JD (@MasonMarksMD) December 28, 2022
Read more: Non-profit launches supporting psychedelic traditions of Mexico’s Indigenous peoples
Read more: Quebec becomes first province to pay doctors for psilocybin-assisted therapy
The governor will also appoint 15 members to an advisory board responsible for adding substances to the program which will then be approved by the department.
The advisory board will specifically include people who have experience with psychedelic medicine in a scientific and religious context.
“Coloradans voted last November and participated in our democracy,” Gov. Polis said in a statement Tuesday.
“Officially validating the results of the citizen and referred initiatives is the next formal step in our work to follow the will of the voters and implement these voter-approved measures.”
In 2020, Oregon voters were the first to pass Measure 109 which decriminalized psilocybin and allowed therapeutic use. California also allows the use of psilocybin and ketamine for medical purposes but DMT requires a religious exemption.
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