The last piece of Colorado’s licensed psychedelics program puzzle has fallen into place, as Nordic Analytical Laboratories has scored a testing lab license from regulators.

Established in 2015 with labs in Denver and Pueblo, Nordic has a core business in cannabis testing, acting as a state-certified lab via Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. Now, it’s stepping into the world of psilocybin testing, which includes screening for contaminants as well as reporting on the potency of products destined for healing centres. (See more: A Rundown of Colorado’s Natural Medicine Program.)

Coloradans voted to endorse the program nine hundred days ago, in November 2022, which triggered nearly two years of rulemaking. With the first testing license now issued, the state’s infrastructure to support legal psychedelic therapy is effectively in place.

“This marks a quiet but historic moment in Colorado’s journey toward safe, dignified, and legal access to psychedelic healing”, said Niko Skievaski, co-founder and CEO of Althea, a psychedelic services platform.

Healing Advocacy Fund, meanwhile, hailed the moment as the ‘official launch’ of the program. Colorado Director Tasia Poinsatte described it as “a proud and hopeful moment for Colorado”, characterising the program as “the result of thoughtful policymaking and community input”.

The fact that there is just one psilocybin testing lab is not exactly unique to Colorado’s program. Oregon’s psilocybin services system—the only other state-legal psychedelics access program in the country—has also struggled to attract testing facilities, with Rose City Laboratories the only licensed lab in the Beaver State. (Rose City offers a wide range of tests, from asbestos and lead through to cannabis and hemp, meaning psilocybin is likely a modest part of its workload.)

Colorado has licensed five healing centres, two cultivators, one product manufacturer, and now one testing facility. That means the natural medicine supply chain is, at least on paper, ready. However, there’s still one final hurdle: paperwork.

The state is still finalising a series of forms that must be completed by clients and facilitators before and during the natural medicine services process. These include facilitator disclosure forms detailing licensing, education, and experience; participant screening documents; informed consent agreements; safety plans; transportation notices and plans; privacy policies; multiple attestations for both parties; and more.

Still, advocates remain hopeful that the first dosing sessions could begin within the next two weeks, potentially at locations like The Center Origin. (See High Hopes in the Mile High City: Inside Colorado’s First Licensed Psilocybin Center.)

If that timeline holds, Colorado’s launch may prove marginally smoother than Oregon’s. EPIC Healing Eugene, the first licensed service centre in Oregon, received its license in May 2023 and service centres in the state began serving clients by July, a pace Colorado seems poised to match or even slightly improve upon.

With the availability of state-regulated psilocybin services imminent, Poinsatte said that “Coloradans can finally begin to access the healing potential of psilocybin in a safe, supportive, and regulated environment.” ∎