OHA Opens Applications, Strengthens Safety Standards
Happy New Year! We are excited for 2023 — the year Oregon’s licensed and regulated psilocybin therapy program becomes available for people across the state.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) took a critical step last week by opening the application process for psilocybin production facilities, service centers and facilitators. If you are interested in joining the first wave of people and organizations providing access to this promising healing modality, now’s your chance to apply.
In the final days of 2022, OHA finalized the rules governing Oregon’s psilocybin therapy program. The updated rules strengthen safety standards and include many of the changes we advocated for with our community’s support.
Here’s how our recommendations show up in the final rules:
Safety and support plans: A facilitator must work with every client, not just those with identified risk factors, to draft a safety and support plan.
Emergency escalation plans: Service centers must create emergency response plans that include a process for responding if a client experiences an emergency.
Client information form and exclusion from treatment: The client information form will be used to identify potential contraindications to psilocybin therapy. Clients experiencing active psychosis or presenting an immediate risk of harm to self or others will be excluded from treatment. Clients who are pregnant or lactating will be informed that the risks of psilocybin therapy during pregnancy and lactation are unknown.
Group preparation sessions: Discussion of key safety considerations in group preparation sessions will be required.
We thank everyone who partnered with us to create and advocate for these strengthened safety standards. Having comprehensive safety standards in place from the start will support the success of Oregon’s program and, in the long run, enable more people to access this promising therapy.
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IN THE NEWS
Legal Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Begins in Oregon
New York Times
On Jan. 1, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the adult use of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic that has shown significant promise for treating severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life anxiety among the terminally ill, among other mental health conditions.
“Psychedelic medicine is starting to transcend partisan politics in a way that few issues have,” said Sam Chapman, executive director of the Healing Advocacy Fund, a nonprofit organization that backed Measure 109 and has been working to guide its implementation. “It’s our responsibility to create a golden standard that’s worthy of wider implementation.”
Why Veterans Are Lining Up for Legalized Magic Mushrooms
The Daily Beast
Veterans looking to try magic mushrooms without breaking U.S. law must travel to either Latin America or the Caribbean to find a retreat. Armand Lecomte, a marine corps veteran who claims psychedelic-assisted treatment saved his life, helps orchestrate psilocybin retreats in Jamaica several times a year for MycoMeditations. A Portland resident, Lecomte urged state and local leaders to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin. He said he plans to get trained as a licensed facilitator in Oregon.
“It’s ridiculous these veterans have to leave the country they served to get the healing they need,” he said. To date, 30 men in Lecomte’s battalion have died by suicide. “If some of my brethren had access to this, they’d still be here.”