In Denver, within the confines of a modest apartment nestled near the city center, Ashley Ryan, identifying herself as a psychedelic guide, demonstrates a practice rooted in ancient traditions. She delicately runs a wooden baton around the rim of a Tibetan singing bowl, producing a resonant, calming sound that fills the room.
“Singing bowls,” she elucidates, “can be integrated into a person’s healing journey.” For Ryan, the tranquil tone is more than just ambiance; it’s a deliberate element in creating a secure environment for individuals embarking on a psychedelic experience with mushrooms.
Her approach extends beyond auditory elements. “I incorporate guided imagery, yoga, and reiki,” Ryan adds, gesturing towards a balcony door that reveals the South Platte River flowing nearby. Clients have the option to remain in the loft’s safe confines or explore Denver’s extensive trail system with her guidance.
Ryan’s transition from a public school teacher to a psychedelic guide is rooted in her personal experiences. She attributes her own well-being to the mindful use of psychedelic mushrooms and now aims to extend that potential for healing to others. Over recent years, this practice has become integrated into her broader business as a meditation and spirituality educator. She now offers guided psychedelic experiences for individuals, couples, and small groups, with fees that reflect the personalized nature of her services. Occasionally, she also provides companionship for friends seeking support during their own psilocybin journeys.
Ashley Ryan represents a pioneering figure in Colorado’s nascent psychedelic landscape. Her activities exist within a legal space that is still being defined, a gray area shaped by recent legislative changes and evolving public perception.
Last November, Colorado voters endorsed Proposition 122, thereby enacting the Natural Medicine Health Act. This landmark decision, approved by a margin exceeding seven percentage points, signaled a significant shift in the state’s approach to psychedelics. However, the establishment of a fully licensed psychedelic industry in Colorado remains a future prospect, with initial licenses anticipated to be issued no sooner than late 2024.
Read more about Colorado’s psychedelic law
Despite the regulatory framework still being developed, individuals like Ryan are already operating within this “gray market.” From “Micro Monday” classes focused on mushroom microdosing to informal networks of cultivators “sharing” their harvests, a decentralized psychedelic scene is emerging in Denver and beyond. Online platforms readily reveal numerous websites offering psychedelic guiding services in the Denver area, indicating a growing accessibility and interest.
A thoughtful Jimmy Smrz discusses the financial and legal considerations of psychedelic mushroom cultivation at his Denver home.
Ryan views Proposition 122 as “the opportunity to use our voice and to share the healing power of mushrooms with others.” Current Colorado law permits these types of unregulated activities involving mushrooms and other psychedelic substances. However, these early ventures may be navigating a landscape that is soon to change significantly. As the state prepares to launch a regulated mushroom industry in the coming year, efforts are already underway by lawmakers to establish clearer boundaries for informal operators like Ryan, with key legislative changes expected as early as July 1.
The Paradox of Legalization and Regulation
Proposition 122 brought about two fundamental shifts in Colorado’s approach to psychedelics. The most publicized aspect was the provision for state-licensed “healing centers,” envisioned as regulated facilities where individuals could access supervised psychedelic mushroom experiences under the guidance of trained professionals, utilizing mushrooms sourced from licensed cultivators.
However, these state-endorsed psychedelic centers are still on the horizon, with licenses potentially delayed until late 2024 or beyond. In the interim, Proposition 122 has already enacted a significant change that directly impacts individuals like Ashley Ryan. Approximately six months prior to this article, Colorado effectively decriminalized the possession, cultivation, use, and “sharing” of psychedelic mushrooms and other substances like DMT.
This legal shift has enabled Ryan to offer both access to psychedelic mushrooms and her services as a guide, mirroring the intended function of future regulated healing centers. The primary restrictions currently in place stipulate that mushroom-sharing guides cannot engage in paid advertising and must “share” rather than sell the substances.
This relatively permissive legal environment has encouraged individuals to openly pursue psychedelic-related ventures. While precise figures are difficult to ascertain, anecdotal evidence from within the psychedelic community suggests a substantial increase in activity since decriminalization. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of individuals are reportedly offering mushrooms and associated services in the Denver metropolitan area alone. Simultaneously, there are reports of an increasing number of individuals engaging in the outright sale of mushrooms, an activity that remains a felony but is perceived to carry reduced legal risk under the current circumstances.
Ryan’s partner, Jimmy Smrz, believes that Proposition 122 was intentionally designed to accommodate small-scale psychedelic services operating outside of a formal licensing framework.
“As long as it was small scale and done in a private residence, you would be able to do essentially what the regulated side wants to do. But you didn’t have the oversight,” he explains, reflecting a libertarian perspective that favors less regulation.
However, this interpretation is not universally shared, particularly among state lawmakers who have initiated legislative measures to potentially curb the activities of gray-market psychedelic businesses like Ashley Ryan’s.
“There’s a challenge in that we are setting up a regulation system, but then also allowing people to do similar activities through an unregulated system. And that’s not normal. That’s not usual,” stated Senate President Steve Fenberg, highlighting the perceived anomaly of the current situation.
Impending Regulatory Changes
Senate Bill 23-290, a new piece of Colorado legislation introducing revised requirements for psychedelic substances, is set to take effect on July 1. This law will prohibit all forms of advertising, not just paid promotion, for unlicensed guides offering mushroom services, among other restrictions.
The intent behind these measures is to allow practitioners like Ryan to continue providing services but within a framework that resembles a hobby or community-based offering rather than a publicly solicited business. Senator Fenberg has expressed concerns about individuals “soliciting” business for services that are intended to be delivered through licensed and regulated channels.
He argues that it is unsustainable to have an unregulated sector providing services that are essentially the same as those slated for tightly controlled, licensed healing centers.
“It was important to us that we didn’t totally cut off personal use and sharing,” Fenberg clarified, “but we also wanted to make sure that we had fidelity to the fact that Proposition 122 asked the state to regulate these services.”
The impending changes have elicited mixed reactions within the psychedelic advocacy community. Ashley Ryan expresses concern that she may need to significantly alter her online presence and limit public communication about her work.
Ashley Ryan examines a booklet showcasing acclaimed psychedelic mushroom producers at her residence in Denver.
“I’m wondering what’s going to happen next as much as everyone else,” she admits. “With the new regulations for community healing, I see it as going underground again.”
Ryan’s frustration with the legislative process has led her to switch her political affiliation from Democrat to Republican. This sentiment is echoed by some Republican lawmakers, such as Representative Ron Weinberg, who argue that the state is deviating from the original intentions of voters who approved Proposition 122.
“They are [currently] doing it responsibly behind closed doors. Nobody knows it’s happening. Now you’re having the bloody government get involved, and that is only going to create incident,” Weinberg contended.
Conversely, some Republican legislators have voiced concerns that the new law is not sufficiently restrictive, particularly because it does not grant local governments the authority to impose stricter regulations to manage the growth of the legal psychedelic industry.
The new legislation also introduces a misdemeanor offense for “unlicensed facilitation,” while still permitting “bona fide” support services. This distinction has created ambiguity for unlicensed guides like Ryan regarding the permissible scope of their activities. Clarity on these issues is anticipated to emerge as the state finalizes the rules and regulations governing the psychedelic industry.
Learn more about moms microdosing mushrooms and related research cautions
Tasia Poinsatte, a key figure in the Proposition 122 campaign and current state director of the Healing Advocacy Fund, generally supports the new Senate bill, viewing it as a necessary measure to refine certain aspects of the original proposition. (The bill encompasses various technical adjustments, including defining criminal penalties and extending the timeline for establishing the state’s licensing system.)
Poinsatte emphasizes the state’s efforts to strike a balance between establishing a regulated industry and accommodating the existing unregulated landscape.
“How do we put in place the pieces [for regulated access] while still making sure that people have this level of freedom to engage responsibly within their own contexts and communities?” she posed.
Kevin Matthews, another prominent advocate for Proposition 122, believes that both regulated and unregulated psychedelic service models can coexist, catering to diverse levels of demand.
However, Democratic Representative Judy Amabile expresses concern that the unregulated market is expanding rapidly before the state has fully defined the parameters of safe psychedelic services. The state’s psychedelic advisory board is expected to take over a year to formulate recommendations regarding training and licensing, and the first licenses may not be issued until late 2024.
“My preference would have been to stand up this regulated framework first and see how that goes before we also had the unregulated framework,” Amabile stated, despite acknowledging the necessity of working within the system established by voters.
Whimsical mushroom-themed light fixtures adorn the Denver home shared by Ashley Ryan and Jimmy Smrz.
Travis Tyler Fluck operates an unregulated microdosing initiative called Micro Mondays. For a $30 participation fee, attendees receive an educational lecture on incorporating microdoses of mushrooms into their daily routines, along with a complimentary month’s supply of mushrooms.
Fluck remains largely unfazed by the new legislation, intending to frame his activities as primarily educational, potentially circumventing advertising restrictions. He advocates for minimal intervention from lawmakers and law enforcement in the unregulated market.
“The most intelligent thing that Colorado can do is foster an environment of motivating people to be as visible as possible with what they’re doing,” Fluck argues. “Because most of this work is no stranger to the underground. And that’s where a lot of harms are done.”
Proponents of psychedelic use emphasize their potential benefits for mental health, citing their non-addictive nature and low immediate physical risk.
Preliminary research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin is promising, but researchers also caution that psychedelic experiences can be psychologically challenging or even traumatizing, potentially triggering or exacerbating pre-existing psychiatric conditions. Canada’s health authorities provide further information on the potential risks of magic mushrooms.
Explore the debate surrounding legalizing psychedelic mushrooms in Colorado
“The quality of the studies is variable,” noted David Hellerstein, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, in a prior interview with CPR News. “The findings are interesting and encouraging. But there’s a lot of holes and a lot of gaps.”
Projecting into 2025: The Future of Psychedelics in Colorado
Colorado is venturing into uncharted territory. Oregon is the only other state to have decriminalized mushrooms statewide, and the long-term outcomes in Oregon are still emerging. Initial reports from Oregon on the implementation of their psychedelic mushroom framework offer early insights.
Oregon’s legal framework, similar to Colorado’s planned healing centers, allows for supervised mushroom services. The first such center in Oregon recently opened, with costs for a single session exceeding $3,000, according to Willamette Week reports on the pricing of psilocybin services in Oregon.
Oregon’s regulated system imposes significant requirements and costs on facilitators, a model that Colorado is likely to emulate, potentially mandating extensive training, licensing, and prolonged supervision for each client.
“You’re looking at hours of somebody’s time who is trained and licensed,” Poinsatte pointed out, highlighting the inherent costs associated with regulated psychedelic services.
While service prices may eventually decrease, the question remains regarding accessibility and affordability within the regulated market, for both clients and prospective facilitators.
Unlike cannabis, Colorado’s framework does not include provisions for retail sales of psychedelic mushrooms. Instead, Coloradans will likely navigate a landscape with three primary options: regulated, potentially expensive clinical services; the less costly but less regulated gray market; and personal, recreational use.
Fluck expresses concern that established entities within a regulated market may exert pressure on the state to suppress gray-market competition.
“Once you allow industry in, and we’re seeing this with medical cannabis, you know, the lobbyists come in and start chipping away at these personal freedoms,” he cautioned, suggesting potential parallels with the evolution of the medical cannabis industry.
Increased Availability of Mushrooms
Beyond the realm of unregulated guides and educators, psychedelic mushrooms themselves appear to be increasingly accessible since decriminalization. A cursory search on Facebook Marketplace revealed numerous listings that appeared to offer psychedelic mushrooms for sale, often accompanied by images of bulk quantities of fungi and links to private messaging platforms.
Online sellers interviewed by CPR News report a surge in individuals cultivating and distributing mushrooms, operating with a perceived reduction in legal risk. However, scams targeting individuals seeking psychedelics are also reportedly present within these online marketplaces.
A grower’s Colorado home showcases psychedelic mushrooms in different phases of their growth cycle.
While the sale of psychedelic mushrooms remains illegal, the diminished criminal penalties for cultivation and possession have made enforcement more challenging. Furthermore, mushroom cultivation is relatively straightforward, requiring less space and energy compared to cannabis. This ease of cultivation raises concerns about the potential for a widespread, unregulated market with limited quality control measures.
“This entire regulated system will be great for … the quasi-medical aspect of it, but the recreational aspect is just going to be the Wild West,” warned Tim Lane of the Colorado District Attorneys Council, highlighting the potential for a bifurcated market. “There’s so much room within the statutes to cultivate and share that there [effectively] is no regulation.”
In Denver, which decriminalized mushrooms locally prior to the state-level change, the Denver Police Department indicates that it is still too early to definitively assess the impact of decriminalization on the drug market. Psilocybin-related criminal charges remain infrequent, with a limited number of confiscations reported since Denver’s initial decriminalization efforts. No significant changes have been observed since the statewide law came into effect.
Representative Amabile characterizes the landscape as an “octagon of interests,” reflecting the diverse perspectives and stakeholders involved in shaping Colorado’s psychedelic future. Senator Fenberg maintains that current legislation aims to balance the coexistence of regulated and unregulated models of mushroom access.
A key consideration for lawmakers is mitigating the risk of federal intervention.
“The sort of unspoken agreement since marijuana legalization is as long as you were regulating it in a mature and professional manner to avoid worst case situations, the federal government generally is going to assume that you are doing your part in not allowing [a federally illegal drug] to get out of control,” Fenberg explained, highlighting the delicate balance between state-level decriminalization and federal prohibition.
While Colorado has established a legal framework for psychedelics, its journey into this evolving landscape is only just beginning. The question of “Where Can I Buy Psychedelic Mushrooms” in Colorado is complex. Currently, there isn’t a legal retail market. The existing “gray market” operates in a legally ambiguous space, with licensed and regulated access still some time away. As Colorado navigates these uncharted waters, the interplay between regulation, access, and public safety will continue to shape the future of psychedelics in the state.
