Epic Healing Eugene is now the epicenter of Oregon’s blossoming psilocybin movement, thanks to its captivating environment and dedicated facilitators. Epic Healing Eugene, which opened this June, is America’s first licensed psilocybin service center. It is open to individuals over the age of 21 and requires no prescription or referral. The center has a long waitlist of more than 3,000 people, which includes those suffering from the likes of depression and PTSD. Angela Allbee, manager of the Oregon Psilocybin Services Section, which governs the psilocybin sector in the state, gives insights into customers’ transforming experiences. “So far, what we’re hearing is that clients have had positive experiences,” she says.
The journey begins with a preparation session guided by licensed facilitators who assist clients through their psilocybin experience at Epic Healing Eugene. Notably, these facilitators have the right to reject access to people who have current psychosis, suicidal intentions, or have recently used lithium, a medicine used to treat manic. The necessary safety precautions have been put in place to guarantee that each person has a safe and fulfilling experience.
Clients are also not permitted to purchase mushrooms for personal use; instead, they must remain at the service center until the effects of the substance have entirely worn off. This emphasis on ethical consumption underscores Epic Healing Eugene’s and other licensed service centers’ dedication to prioritizing their clients’ well-being.
The psychedelic revolution extends beyond Oregon’s frontiers
Oregon’s audacious approach toward psilocybin legalization reflects a bigger trend in the United States. In 2020, Colorado voters approved a measure to regulate the use of magic mushrooms, set to take effect in 2024. Similarly, California’s legislature has approved the possession and use of certain plant- and mushroom-based psychedelics, such as psilocybin and mescaline, with intentions to develop therapeutic guidelines.
The Oregon Psilocybin Services Section has received “hundreds of thousands of inquiries from all over the world,” showing a growing global interest in psychedelic research. Researchers are becoming increasingly confident that psilocybin may reconfigure the brain, allowing users to adopt new perspectives and solve mental health issues.
However, not everyone in the medical community supports this psychedelic revival. The Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association argued that psilocybin “is unsafe and makes misleading promises to those Oregonians who are struggling with mental illness.” Angela Allbee and her colleagues remain steadfast in their commitment to safety and the responsible administration of psychedelic experiences, drawing on mushrooms’ millennia-long legacy in tribal spiritual and healing practices.
Oregon’s trailblazing approach to decriminalization and regulation
Oregon’s image as a drug-law reform pioneer extends beyond psilocybin. The state decriminalized the possession of hard drugs in 2020, cementing its position as a progressive drug policy leader. Oregon was also one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use and decriminalize cannabis possession.
Nonetheless, these initiatives have not been without difficulties. According to AP VoteCast, the regulated marijuana business in Oregon is now dealing with oversupply, while drug legalization has yet to result in significant increases in addiction treatment or decreases in overdoses. In fact, 58 percent of Oregon voters in the 2022 midterm elections disapproved of the state’s drug liberalization measures.
The effects of psilocybin legalization in Oregon are still being felt. The Oregon Psilocybin Services Section worked for two years to develop regulations before accepting license applications in January. There are currently 10 licensed service centers, four growers, two testing labs, and a slew of facilitators. While Epic Healing Eugene has a long waitlist, other treatment centers are seeing an increase in revenue as word spreads.
Local governments retain the authority to outlaw psilocybin operations, and numerous rural counties have done so. Critics have expressed concern about the high cost of psilocybin experiences, but industry insiders believe prices will fall as more businesses enter the market. Currently, a customer may pay more than $2,000 for a session, which includes service center costs, facilitator fees, and lab-tested psilocybin. Annual licenses for service centers and growers cost $10,000, with a 10 percent discount for veterans.
Angela Allbee underlines the Oregon Psilocybin Services Section’s dedication to social fairness goals, noting that several licensees have already implemented sliding-scale pricing schemes. She predicts that the initiative, which is presently funded by public monies, will be self-sustaining through license fees by mid-2025, allowing for additional cost-cutting efforts.
Meet the psilocybin movement’s visionaries
Epic Healing Eugene owner Cathy Jonas sees her service center’s aim as more than just a business enterprise. She considers it a calling. “The plant medicines have communicated to me that I’m supposed to be doing this thing,” Jonas says. Her commitment to legalizing psychedelic mushrooms attests to the deeply transforming potential she sees in these substances.
State regulations allow for psilocybin doses of up to 50 milligrams, but Jonas has chosen a more cautious approach. She determined that a 35-milligram quantity of pure psilocybin, equivalent to approximately 6 grams of dried mushrooms, was strong enough for her facility after testing it. One of her clients, who asked not to be identified, described their experience as “a kind of infinite-dimension fractal that just kept turning and twisting.” Despite its intensity, this session spurred a significant transformation, altering the client’s viewpoint on unpleasant memories and providing a sought-after mystical encounter.
Gared Hansen, a licensed grower and former police officer, embodies the unexpected paths that people in the psilocybin industry have taken. Hansen who worked as a police officer for 16 years and once apprehended a psilocybin dealer in Golden Gate Park, now runs Uptown Fungus, a one-man psilocybin-growing enterprise outside Springfield, Oregon. He grows mushrooms with intriguing names like Golden Teacher, Blue Meanies, and Pink Buffalo, and charges $125 for 25 milligrams.
Hansen meditates with the mushrooms on occasion, hoping to imbue them with healing energy. He, like many others in the industry, emphasizes the significance of purchasing psilocybin from authorized service providers rather than the illegal market. These facilities offer measured and carefully managed doses in a controlled setting, lowering the chance of unpleasant reactions.
According to Hansen, the therapeutic potential of psilocybin extends beyond simply pleasurable experiences. He acknowledges that the healing process may at times include confronting negative emotions or reprocessing trauma in a healthier manner. Individuals like Gared Hansen and Cathy Jonas are driving Oregon’s psilocybin revolution, providing a look into the transforming potential of this incredible voyage inside the mind.
The world is watching attentively as Oregon forges ahead with psilocybin legalization, anticipating the ripple effects on mental health treatment and drug policy reform. While obstacles and disputes continue, one thing is certain: the psychedelic revolution is gaining traction, and its potential to heal and transform lives is undeniable.
