Oregon’s legal psilocybin program begins, but services are not yet available

While national headlines might make it sounds like psychedelic mushrooms are now available for adults in Oregon, that’s not the case. Oregon’s legal therapeutic psilocybin program officially began on Jan. 2, but there are currently no licensed facilities, facilitators or even manufacturers of the substance, all of which are required, at the same time, for legal consumption of “magic mushrooms” in the state.

It’s not hard to see why there is some confusion over the nuances of Oregon’s law – psilocybin was decriminalized by Measure 110, which passed in 2020, the same year that Oregon voters legalized psilocybin in a therapeutic setting. That means misdemeanor possession of the substance (and other drugs) can result in fines up to $100, but not arrest. Still, selling “magic mushrooms” remains illegal, as was apparent in December when authorities shut down a business called “Shroom House,” which was openly selling psilocybin on West Burnside Street.

Applications have begun rolling in for licenses for the state’s legal program, but there’s no estimated date for when services might begin.

Students in Oregon are already learning how to facilitate psilocybin experiences

“Facilitators may be finishing their training programs, service centers may be working with their local governments on the LUCs (land use compatibility) process, and labs may be going through the accreditation process before applying,” said Erica Joy Heartquist, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority, which is overseeing the state’s voter-passed psilocybin framework. “Many people are still setting up their businesses.”

Applications opened at the beginning of the year for a slew of license types – facilitator, manufacturer, service center, laboratory and worker permit. As of Monday afternoon, Heartquist said, the state had zero facilitator applications, four manufacturer applications, three service center applications, one laboratory application and 92 worker permit applications.

So far, none of those licenses had been issued. The state began approving facilitator training programs late last year, to allow potential facilitators to begin the months-long process of certification ahead of the rest of the program.

Officials have no estimate for when services might actually begin. The process of starting a business in a brand-new industry is full of challenges. In 2022, many Oregon towns and counties voted to opt out of allowing psilocybin services, and in the counties and towns that plan to allow it, land use restrictions vary.

Even in Portland, where there are no extra restrictions, the process can be slow going.

Rebecca Martinez is the founder and executive director of the Alma Institute, a nonprofit that just began enrolling students in its facilitator training program and is working on opening a service center in Northeast Portland.

Alma is in the process of renovating the building and has worked with the City of Portland to understand what regulations they need to comply with, Martinez said. While that hasn’t proven to be a problem, there is a question about city permitting.

“There’s been some back and forth around how the building should be designated,” she said.

Is it an office building? A clinic? There are different rules for each type of business. Renovations can’t continue until the question is answered and Alma can’t apply for an OHA license until renovations are complete.

These are the types of unanticipated issues cropping up for people trying to start psilocybin businesses.

“It’s all of these chicken-and-egg questions,” Martinez said. “Trying to build all the pieces of this industry is going to take months at best.”

Martinez is trying to manage expectations. She’s hopeful that Alma’s service center will be up and running by September when the first cohort of students from the training program is ready to work with clients.

“If there are service centers up and running by summer I would see that as a good outcome,” she said.