Starting on December 31, the Natural Medicine Division (NMD), a branch of the Colorado Department of Revenue tasked with licensing and regulating natural medicine businesses, will start accepting applications for psilocybin healing centers, cultivations and testing labs, which will open the door to the HAF’s treatment model.
The HAF works to advocate for and implement state-regulated access to psychedelic healing, using research from decriminalization processes in Oregon and Colorado to provide increased training and flexibility for providers. In 2022, Colorado voters passed a law that decriminalizes certain natural psychedelics and legalizes the clinical and therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms.
Executive director Taylor West said that the HAF's research aims to bring more treatment opportunities for people struggling with mental health issues such as depression, end-of-life anxiety, addiction and post-traumatic stress.
“In Colorado, we know that we're dealing with a mental health crisis, much like we are in the rest of the country,” said West, who believes that the introduction of psychedelic treatments will fill in the gaps where other medications have previously failed.
The introduction of psychedelic treatments in Colorado will provide “a new hope for Coloradans,” said Erica Messinger, a registered nurse based in Dolores who wants to expand psychedelic treatment services on the Western Slope.
According to the HAF, a psilocybin therapy experience could go something like this: After an assessment, participants are screened and matched with facilitators, who then work together to prepare the best treatment plan for issues that the participant wants to address. During the administration stage, which is held at a licensed service center by a trained facilitator, participants are given a psychedelic treatment based on their background and needs.
The integration step would be the last stage, with the participant discussing the treatment’s impact with their facilitator, and the facilitator teaching how to implement the treatment into their daily lives.
Psychedelic treatment centers will not allow retail sales nor function as dispensaries, though some mushroom co-ops, delivery services and gray-area businesses have sprouted up in the personal-use space of decriminalized psychedelics.
Colorado HAF director Tasia Poinsatte believes a more vetted process ensures client safety by screening prior medical and mental health issues, a participant's reasons for seeking psychedelic treatment, and their history of psychedelic use. Poinsatte stated that the facilitator training will include 150 hours of coursework, 40 hours of in-person supervised practice, 50 hours of consultation, and a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Mikki Vogt, an addictions counselor in Littleton, is eager to see the impact of psychedelic treatments on Colorado communities.
“And what mental health providers never want to say is that there's nothing else we can do,” said Vogt. “That's why having psychedelic therapy as a new tool in our toolbox is monumental for mental health care in Colorado.”
According to West, affordability measures have been integrated into the business models of psychedelic treatment facilities in both Oregon and Colorado, such as social equity plans in Oregon and an environmental social governance component in Colorado. According to the HAF, training programs for facilitators range from $7,000 to $12,000, but many of the programs will offer scholarships.
While psychedelic services can benefit a wide variety of users with different mental health struggles, women are a unique demographic who will be impacted by these resources. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, about eight out of every 100 women will have PTSD at some point in their life compared to around four out of 100 men.
“I also think it's often overlooked when we talk about trauma and PTSD that the largest population of sufferers of PTSD are women who are survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence,” West noted.
