Colorado legalizes the cultivation, consumption and sale of psychedelic mushrooms
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Identical to the marijuana legalization system, a new Division of Natural Medicine is created, which will be the only agency authorized to grant or revoke licenses for the management of mushrooms psychedelics
Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a law Wednesday that allows the cultivation and consumption of psychedelic mushrooms, making the state the first in the United States to advance such a measure.
The new law (SB23-290), which goes into effect on July 1, had been approved by the state legislature earlier this month and establishes rules for the implementation of Proposition 122, which legalized psychedelic mushrooms in Colorado in the November 2022 election, with 54% of voters supporting the measure.
Under SB23-290, the new Colorado Natural Medicine Advisory Board will begin operating in just over a month, with the purpose of “reviewing natural medicine-related issues and products and making recommendations” to proper authorities regarding the cultivation, consumption, and sale of psychedelic mushrooms.
With 45 Aye, 18 No, and 2 Excused: the Colorado House adopted SB23-290 Saturday April 29, 2023 pic.twitter.com/1JtyHXLlLw
— Jacob Curtis (@JacobCurtis) May 1, 2023
In addition, following the measure adopted to legalize marijuana, the new Division of Natural Medicine is created within the Colorado Department of Revenue, which will be the only agency authorized to grant or revoke licenses “for the cultivation, manufacture, testing, storage, distribution, transportation, transfer, and dispensing of herbal medicine or herbal medicine product.”
“Health centers” (dispensaries) selling psilocybin mushrooms will begin operate in the second half of 2024 and will only be open to people over 21 years of age.
In addition, both the public use of psychedelic mushrooms and their consumption by persons under 21 years of age will be considered crimes of misuse of controlled substances, with the possibility of a fine, imprisonment or both for offenders.
The new law also establishes severe penalties for those who grow or sell psychedelic mushrooms without a license and stipulates that the use of these mushrooms does not exempt anyone from their responsibilities in cases of vehicular accidents or in the workplace.
In addition to psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called 'magic' mushrooms, the use of three other natural psychedelics was also decriminalized: DMT, ibogaine and non-peyote mescaline.
On May 10, the University of Colorado announced the start of a study on the potential medical benefits of psilocybin in human patients. In this way, the aim is to find treatments for people with depression and other negative mental and brain situations.
However, according to the University of Colorado Medical Center, known as UCHealth, the study, the first in more than half a century in the United States, it is not related to either Proposition 122 or SB23-290.
Federally, psilocybin remains illegal, although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) occasionally grants permits and grants to study psilocybin and other psychedelics, including ayahuasca (a tropical plant with medicinal properties). hallucinogenic drugs) and MDMA (“ecstasy”).