New Natural Medicine Division Announces Public Sessions for Psychedelic Rulemaking

Colorado's newly formed Natural Medicine Division has announced a series of public stakeholding sessions about the state's implementation of decriminalized and medically legal psychedelics.

A branch of the Colorado Department of Revenue (DOR), the Natural Medicine Division will hold five virtual listening sessions that cover topics such as psychedelic cultivation and manufacturing, first responder and harm reduction training, public education campaigns and upcoming psychedelic laws. The listening sessions, set for September and October, will help "gather insights and perspectives" from the public to "inform the creation of comprehensive regulations" via rulemaking in 2024.

Colorado voters approved Proposition 122 last November, legalizing medical psilocybin use while also decriminalizing the personal use and cultivation of psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. Psilocybin and psilocybin mushrooms have been legalized for supervised medical use, with clinics and therapy centers set to open as early as 2024, while the other three substances are up for legal review by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies by 2026.

State lawmakers passed a bill addressing many of the regulatory questions left unanswered by Prop 122, but there are still a lot of details to pin down, according to the DOR.

Responsible for regulating Colorado's alcohol and marijuana industries, among many others, the DOR will soon draft and enforce many of the rules under which Colorado's new psychedelic trade will operate. Prop 122 did not allow for the establishment of retail operations, so there won't be mushroom dispensaries in Colorado, but the new Natural Medicine Division still has hundreds of pages of rules to write regarding business ownership rules, employee and psychedelic facilitator training, production guidelines and so on.

"We believe it is critical to involve the community in the process of standing up a new program for natural medicine that reflects a diversity of perspectives. Through our regulatory experience, we have learned that a key factor is collaborating with all stakeholders," Natural Medicine Division and Marijuana Enforcement Division Executive Director Dominique Mendiola says in a statement announcing the meetings.

The first hearing session, set for Tuesday, September 5, will cover Senate Bill 23-290, a broad piece of legislation that addresses Prop 122 and guidelines for psychedelics in Colorado. Introduced by Senate President Stephen Fenberg, the bill created guardrails for unlicensed psychedelic facilitators, restrictions for personal mushroom and natural-medicine cultivation, and criminal penalties for the unlicensed sale or distribution of psychedelics. The measure also created the Natural Medicine Division.

Here's the schedule for the five Natural Medicine Division listening sessions:

SB 23-290 Overview & Introduction to Natural Medicine Division
Tuesday, September 5, 11 a.m. to noon

First & Multi Responder Trainings
Tuesday, September 12, 2 to 3 p.m.

Public Education Campaigns
Friday, September 22, 2 to 3 p.m.

Testing Program
Sunday, September 27, 10 to 11 a.m.

Cultivation & Manufacturing Practices
Tuesday, October 3, 10 to 11 a.m.

All of the meetings can be viewed on Zoom, with viewer registration and meeting agendas available on the Natural Medicine Division website. According to the DOR, more information about the meetings will be posted on the website as their dates approach. "Stakeholders, experts, and interested parties are encouraged to actively participate in the sessions," the DOR advises. "Those who possess information to share on the mentioned topics and who wish to present during a listening session are invited to contact Allison Robinette at [email protected]."