Colorado has become the second state to allow psychedelic therapy. Residents voted to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the chemical compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, the Associated Press reported.
Proposition 122 was passed in 2022, allowing the psychedelic substance to be administered to those aged 21 and older at professional facilities.
Companies and individuals will now begin to apply for licenses to administer the drug.
Lane Belone, a special forces veteran who says he has benefitted from psychedelics, said, “We have an opportunity to support veterans, and it’s a really easy one to say ‘Yes’ to.”
Council President Randy Helms, also a veteran, said, “I will never sit up here and criticize a veteran for wanting to find a medical treatment to fix or to help with the issues that they carry. Do I think that it’s helpful to not just veterans but to individuals? Probably so. Do I think it still needs to be tested under strict requirements? Yes.”
Others warned the therapy presents risks that have not yet been thoroughly evaluated by the scientific community. Jeffrey Lieberman, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, stated that while he is “very positive about the potential value,” he is “very concerned that we’ve gotten too far ahead of our skis.”
The Colorado Spring City Council passed a restriction that would extend the “healing centers” from 1,000 feet to 1 mile from schools and other locations, the report noted.
The state of Oregon previously legalized the compound’s use in therapy, although numerous cities have voted to ban it.
