Oregon's Psilocybin Program
A Legal and Safe Option for Older Adults Wanting to Experience Psilocybin
The New York Times recently asked readers to send in questions they have about psychedelics. Not surprisingly, the question came up, “How do you gain access to these spiritual/medical interventions without leaving the country or running afoul of the law”. What I did find surprising, however, was that the answer made no mention of the state-legal psilocybin programs in Oregon and Colorado.
Since 2023 in Oregon, and in Colorado as of this year, any adult who passes a basic screening process can have a legal psychedelic experience in a state-regulated facility, with lab-tested psilocybin, facilitated by a trained and licensed facilitator. These experiences are offered for the pursuit of healing and wellness, and don’t require a medical diagnosis.
I’ve always felt that these state programs are an ideal option for those older adults who are interested in having a psychedelic experience but don’t want to break the law, navigate the underground or travel overseas.
The purported first client of Oregon’s psilocybin program was a retired builder in his 70s, as reported in The Microdose…
To understand more about what older adults can find in Oregon’s state psilocybin program, I spoke with Heidi Pendergast, Oregon director at the non-profit Healing Advocacy Fund.
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HP: Different individuals will seek out different pathways to these experiences. Some folks, especially those who tend to be younger, are entirely happy going the underground route. Others are like, I am only doing this if it is FDA approved and prescribed by my doctor.
Then there’s the middle ground of folks who know this medicine has a relatively strong safety profile, but they want something that's more above board. And I think that the state level programs offer a container that people – including older adults - can trust.
We've had well over 10,000 individuals go through the Oregon program with very minimal adverse events. Some of the challenges that happen in the underground, whether unsafe touch or facilitator misconduct, we’re not seeing happening in the regulated model. Also, in terms of safety, out of 10,000 clients, there were only 13 calls to emergency services, which is one tenth of one percent.
Until this year, demographic data wasn’t collected about the people going through the program. What do you hear from the service centers about older adult clients?
A lot of service centers I've talked to report a healthy interest among adults 50 and over. They're also seeing a lot of older women. (Here’s a testimonial from one of them)
Many of the people coming to the program have struggled for decades. They've tried other traditional treatments that haven't helped. And they’re at the point in their lives where they’re ready to try something else.
This is not a prescription model so you don’t need a doctor’s referral. That was very intentional. Just being human can be challenging enough, going through repeated stages of celebration and grief and letting go. And we know that these medicines can be incredibly beneficial and useful for that.
What guidance do you have for older adults interested in the Oregon program?
It’s important for anyone considering this program to think about their intentions. What are they trying to get out of the experience at this point in time? Are they looking for a more spiritual experience or do they want to work with someone who's a licensed health care provider?
Every service center is set up a little differently. Some have medical directors on staff who do a risk assessment of every person who comes in based on their medical profile, and that can be important for older clients.
On our website, we have directories of all the licensed service centers in the state and for all the facilitators. You can figure out what might be a good fit for you based on your medical and mental health background. We also created a Client Education Guide that can be a helpful resource for this vetting process.
Another consideration is the preparation and follow-up integration that a client is looking for. All programs are required to offer at least one preparatory session where the facilitator walks you through the informed consent process. Some people might need more than one preparation session before they feel comfortable going ahead with the medicine session.
The psilocybin administration session happens at a licensed service center, with mushrooms that are laboratory tested for purity and dosage. In the preparatory session, you will have agreed upon the dosage with the facilitator. There’s a minimum duration you’ll need to stay at the service center until the effects of the psilocybin have worn off, and then you’ll be free to leave with someone who picks you up.
The Oregon program doesn’t mandate a subsequent integration session. But the vast majority of facilitators will tell you that, to work with them, it’s required. I would say most facilitators do multiple prep sessions and multiple integration sessions. So they’re spending 12 to 15 hours with a client - three to four hours on the front end, maybe a five hour journey, then three to four hours on the back end.
Let's talk about the cost. What should an older adult think about budgeting?
An individual session, with one client and one facilitator starts at around $1200 and then they kind of max out at $3500. It's really important when speaking with facilitators to ask exactly what is included in the total package and the total cost of services. Those typically might include the cost of the administration room, the number of preparation sessions, the psilocybin, and any follow-up integration sessions. It’s important to be very clear up front about all this.
Could you foresee service centers that are especially focused on older adults?
I think that would be a smart way for service centers to begin to specialize. They might say, we've got a doctor on site that's going to review every person. They're going to listen to your medical history, look at the medications you take, and make sure you feel absolutely sure that this is okay for you. They could also offer a staff of facilitators who are older as well.
Can the program accommodate groups of older adults?
Absolutely. Different centers have different capacities. Some have space for up to 25 individuals. If you identify a few folks, then look at the different service centers, pick out one that would work well for you, then see if they have availability, that's absolutely an option. And the cost savings on that can be pretty significant.
Impressive Abbie 🙏🏽
great work Abbie!