GET YOUR MEDICAL CARD
Oregon is the first state in the United States to legalize psilocybin therapy, leading the way for the rest of the country. Psilocybin was classified as a “breakthrough therapy” for depression by the FDA based on the positive results of clinical trials. With a mental health crisis in our country among teens and adults and a lack of treatments, psilocybin could provide hope for many people that suffer from anxiety and depression.
What is Psilocybin?
Psilocybin is the active ingredient of “magic mushrooms.” More than 200 species of mushrooms produce the naturally-occurring psychedelic compound. Psilocybe cubensis is the most well-known species and the only one legalized in Oregon for now.
When consumed, psilocybin has psychedelic effects, including euphoria, visual and mental hallucinations, a distorted sense of time, and sometimes synesthesia. Many people describe mystical experiences that include powerful positive emotions and a feeling of connection with the universe, or God.
Healing with Magic Mushrooms
The emotional and mystical experience is also the primary source of healing with magic mushrooms. Psilocybin has proven effective in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, headaches, and spiritual alienation. There is significant potential for treating end-of-life anxiety and depression as a single dose of psilocybin can provide long-term relief of anxiety and depression in cancer patients. According to Dr. Stephen Ross, associate professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health, “psilocybin therapy is a promising means of improving the emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being of patients with life-threatening cancer.”
Psilocybin Therapy in Oregon
Oregon voters passed Measure 109 in 2020, legalizing the “manufacture, distribution and administration” of psilocybin products. When psilocybin becomes legal in Oregon in 2023, you will not be able to buy magic mushrooms and eat them at home or buy them at a store like cannabis. Instead, psilocybin must be administered by a licensed facilitator in a licensed psilocybin facility.
With input from the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has drafted rules for psilocybin services. Though there are benefits to micro-dosing psilocybin, the guidelines provided by the OHA only cover macro doses at this time.
Psilocybin Facilitators and Services
Any personal development professional can become a psilocybin facilitator in Oregon - you do not have to be a psychiatrist or psychologist. Training programs for psychedelic practitioners include courses on scientific research, the history of psychedelics, indigenous practices, and the art of holding space. The costs of the training sessions could be a hurdle for many. The Dutch psilocybin retreat company Synthesis Institute charges $21,500 for their 18-month training program, while the Navigating Psychedelics program by Psychedelics Today costs $12,500 for the year-long training.
Psilocybin therapy will include a sequence of three sessions:
- 1.) A preparation session: the client is briefed on what to expect from the psilocybin trip.
- 2.) The psilocybin session: the client consumes psilocybin and experiences a psychedelic journey that lasts several hours.
- 3.) An integration session: the client talks through the experience with the facilitator to make sense of what they experienced.
Outside of these guidelines, there is leeway for individual facilitators to make the sessions unique based on their expertise.
Affordability and Equity in Psychedelics
If it sounds like psilocybin therapy is going to be expensive, it is. At least to start. Sessions won’t likely be covered by health insurance. And the tax liability will drive costs up as it did with legal cannabis. But there is still hope for accessibility. Equity groups like the Fruiting Bodies Collective are serving on the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board to help get community needs met for people of all backgrounds. And the Measure 109 rules can be edited, so we can expect to see changes over the years.
So When Can I Take Magic Mushrooms?
Production and facilitator groups can start applying for licenses on January 2, 2023, and the first psilocybin therapy appointments will probably be booked around mid-2023.
Get Your Medical Document & Purchase Medical Cannabis
It’s easy to get your medical document with the online Telehealth service HelloMD. Register, pay, and receive an online medical consultation with a licensed partitioner and purchase medical cannabis today.
