Pα+ Psychedelic Bulletin #181: Last-Minute Changes to Colorado’s Psychedelics Rules; Cybin’s Impressive 12-Month Data Overshadowed by Small N and Controversial Marketing Move

Last-Minute Rule Changes, Opt-Outs, Ahead of Colorado’s Psychedelics Program Launch

As Colorado’s state-regulated psychedelics system comes ever closer to its launch next year, last-minute changes to its rules are causing commotion.

With fewer than forty days to go until the state begins accepting license applications, and two years after voters endorsed Prop. 122 in the November 2022 elections, it’s crunch time.

Prop. 122 was seen as an improvement over Oregon’s restrictive first-in-class system, with notable changes including the prevention of local opt-outs and the leeway for psychedelic (natural medicine) sessions to take place outside of licensed facilities.

But, as the program’s launch draws closer, both of those USPs are coming under fire from rulemakers.

Narrowing the ‘Other Locations’ Rules

Last-minute additions to section 6.18 of the final draft rules specify that a facilitator that is “employed by, contracted with, or holds a healing center license may facilitate an administration session in a location other than a healing center”, but only “if they are facilitating for a participant requiring palliative care.” (The previous text of 6.18 A. read, simply, “A facilitator may facilitate an administration session in a location other than a healing center in accordance with these rules.”)

The employment or licensure clause, and the palliative care restriction, were the two elements added very late in the day: the changes were made last Friday, and the final hearing took place on Tuesday.

Prior to this change, at-home administration was largely unrestricted, aside from basic safety stipulations. But according to these updated draft rules, such administration would be narrowly limited to individuals undergoing palliative care. The new wording also foils the whole ‘independent facilitator’ set-up that was set to be one of the Colorado program’s more radical features, which advocates hoped would increase inclusion and reduce barriers to access...