Oregon’s Mysterious Magic Mushroom Experiment – Get Ready to Plan a Trip Now!

Oregon just did something really cool! They gave out licenses to instructors who are allowed to take people on “psychedelic trips”. This means that soon Oregon residents will be able to partake in unique “shroom” experiences with a professional.

In 2020, people voted to make using the drug “psilocybin” legal. Lots of people have been waiting a long time (2 and a half years!) for the day when they can start taking it. Hundreds of people have even spent lots of money hoping that psilocybin’s therapeutic benefits will be available soon, but some are worried that it is taking too long.

Oregon Psilocybin Services Manager Angie Allbee expressed her appreciation on Tuesday towards three people who got approved for the state’s first facilitator licenses. She thanked them for their efforts to keep clients secure and grant them access.

So far, no places have been approved to offer psilocybin. This means they can’t provide customers with calming spaces that come with music, eye masks, and mats. Psilocybin also needs to be tested in a lab before it is used as a product. It can be found in form of whole mushrooms, ground up mushroom powder, extracts and even edibles for you to eat.

Tori Armbrust was the first person to get a license from the health authority that allowed her to grow and produce magic mushrooms. In March, this made her the very first person with this special license. People were congratulating her for being a leader in creating an environment that produced these types of mushrooms.

Armbrust bought a license with $10,000 that only lasts one year. If she wants to have it again after the year passes, she will have to pay another $10,000. She spent around $25,000 of her own money on buying the license and renting a building in Portland to make mushrooms as well as set up utilities like electricity, water, etc., but she has not earned any money yet.

This lady is growing mushrooms called “psilocybe cubensis” and in a few weeks, she will be able to harvest them. But even when her mushrooms are ready, she won’t be able to sell them because the service centers haven’t licensed yet. That’s why this person is under a lot of pressure to get everything in order quickly so she can make money from her harvest.

Oregon Psilocybin Services, part of the health department, announced on Tuesday that they plan to issue licenses in the near future to businesses who require them.

Armbrust mentioned that everything is still rather new and he can’t predict what will come next so he is doing his best to grow enough medicine.

Recently, around 100 people took a 6-month long course that cost them $7,900. During this course they were taught how to become facilitators and received a certificate at the end of it. After receiving their certificate, these people could take an exam given by the health authority and if they passed, would be awarded licenses to work as facilitators. As of now, only three manufacturing licenses and three facilitator licenses have been issued.

Oregon Psilocybin Services is planning on opening centers and having licensed facilitators provide services this fall. Afiq Hisham, a spokesperson for the health authority, mentioned that there are complex issues causing delays; like making sure the proposed premises meet the requirements, as well as working with their cities and counties on zoning. They are focusing on going through applications in the order they receive them, and also doing site inspections for those that are ready.