Activists in Colorado are pushing for a ballot initiative that could legalize psilocybin and create a series of state-licensed “healing centers” where patients would be able to access treatment with the compound, also known as the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms.”
As Marijuana Moment reported, the Natural Medicine Healing Act would be included in Colorado’s 2022 ballot, and is now pending approval to begin gathering signatures.
The initiative follows a trend of psilocybin legalization led by Oregon, where voters approved a program for the regulated use of psilocybin therapy in 2020. The measure set up a program for state-licensed providers to offer legal psilocybin therapy. The program is currently in development.
On Wednesday, Colorado activists announced that they added modifications to their proposal, which originally included the possibility of legalizing various entheogenic substances including DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. The new language focuses on creating a legal and regulated therapeutic psilocybin program.
The proposed ballot now includes a two-tiered regulatory model, by which psilocybin would be legalized and regulated for therapeutic use until June 2026. After that, regulators could expand the legislation to include other psychedelic substances.
“We really wanted to make sure that the administration had time to set up a proper regulatory structure—first for psilocybin and then for any further natural medicines,” Rick Ridder, a spokesperson for the campaign, told Marijuana Moment.
The ballot initiative is scheduled for a review hearing by state officials on February 3. If approved, activists can move forward to collecting the necessary 124,632 signatures from registered voters to appear in the 2022 ballot.
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