Psychedelic Laws in Colorado

Psychedelics have been decriminalized and legalized in Colorado. Psilocybin and psilocin (the active ingredients in magic mushrooms), DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline, are currently decriminalized for personal cultivation and use.

Legal use of psilocybin in a therapeutic setting will be available for people over the age of 21 starting at the end of 2024. A voter initiative has been passed legalizing supervised psilocybin sessions. The law does not go into effect until September 30, 2024. These services will not likely be available for at least another six months after the program begins.

Colorado is at the forefront of psychedelic legalization. Back in 2019, the state’s capital, Denver, became the first city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin.

Just a few years later, in 2022, psychedelics were decriminalized on a state level. During the November election, citizens also voted to establish a legal framework for the use of psilocybin in a therapeutic setting. 

The Natural Medicine Health Act, or Proposition 122, gives the state about two years to set up the framework for this new program. The committee establishing these rules has until September 30, 2024, to finalize them. At that point, service centers can start providing access to psilocybin for people over the age of 21.

Unlike Oregon’s Psilocybin Services Initiative, Prop 122 sets the precedent for additional psychedelic compounds to be added to the program. After June 2026, the committee overseeing the implementation of the Natural Medicine Health Act will have the option to add DMT, mescaline, and ibogaine to the legal psychedelic access program.