United Statesstate reportCO

Psychedelic research and access in

Colorado

Colorado is the most operationally advanced state in this group. Proposition 122 created the Natural Medicine Health Act framework; SB 23-290 then established the Natural Medicine Advisory Board, an Indigenous working group, facilitator regulation under DORA, and a Department of Revenue Natural Medicine Division for business licensing and regulation.

Key Insights

  • 1

    Colorado is the only jurisdiction in this set with a live state-regulated psilocybin/psilocin services system, but sale is still unlawful and the regulated programme is not FDA-approved treatment.

  • 2

    The state divides responsibilities between DOR for business licensing and DORA for facilitator licensing, which is central to understanding Colorado implementation.

  • 3

    Publicly posted application data show that healing centres, cultivations, manufacturers, testing facilities, facilitators and training programmes are no longer theoretical; the system is operational.

  • 4

    Regulated access currently covers psilocybin/psilocin only; broader natural medicines remain a future-expansion question rather than live regulated access as of 15 May 2026.

  • 5

    Colorado’s next major policy question is ibogaine: HB 26-1325 would create a pilot and expand rulemaking, but it was not yet enacted by the report date.

Research Snapshot

Deep report

Blossom currently tracks 23 psychedelic clinical trials with verified sites in Colorado, including 9 active studies.

Active trials
9

Verified state-linked study sites

Total trials
23

Linked trial records

Stakeholders
55

53 physical, 2 jurisdiction-linked

Events
0

Linked state-level events

Top Compounds

  • MDMA(7)
  • Psilocybin(7)
  • Ketamine(4)
  • LSD(3)
  • Esketamine(1)

Top Study Topics

  • PTSD(7)
  • Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)(5)
  • Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)(3)
  • Anxiety Disorders(2)
  • Palliative & End-of-Life Distress(2)

Active Trial Preview

View linked trials →

Access and Payment

Ketamine/esketamine access; no state-regulated classical psychedelic pathway

Colorado now has a real, state-regulated access channel for psilocybin/psilocin administration sessions through licensed healing centres and licensed facilitators. Denver’s official FAQ says access to regulated natural medicine requires an administration session in a licensed healing centre or with a licensed facilitator at a home or healthcare facility, and reiterates that buying or selling natural medicine remains unlawful. That means the Colorado model is neither pharmacy dispensing nor conventional prescription care.

Research signal

Available

Colorado’s research profile is increasingly connected to, but not defined by, its policy framework. gov results show Colorado-based interventional work including a University of Colorado Anschutz trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and Denver sites in multicentre major depressive disorder studies.

Ketamine / esketamine

Available

Colorado now has a real, state-regulated access channel for psilocybin/psilocin administration sessions through licensed healing centres and licensed facilitators. Denver’s official FAQ says access to regulated natural medicine requires an administration session in a licensed healing centre or with a licensed facilitator at a home or healthcare facility, and reiterates that buying or selling natural medicine remains unlawful.

No state service model

Not Available

No state-regulated psilocybin, MDMA or natural-medicine service model is verified for Colorado.

Classical psychedelics

Not Available

Colorado’s programme developed in stages: voter approval in 2022, statutory build-out in 2023 through SB 23-290, implementation refinements in 2024 through SB 24-198, and local licensing overlays such as Denver’s 2025 ordinance. SB 24-198 was especially important because it formally authorised facilitator education programmes under DORA, updated testing and destruction rules, and clarified certain facility and transfer provisions.

Reimbursement / payment

Limited

Coverage appears plan-specific, with off-label ketamine generally facing more reimbursement friction than REMS-governed esketamine.

Policy and Access Timeline

State-level bills, laws, pilots, agency actions, and reimbursement details that shape real-world access.

  1. 1 Feb 2026

    ActiveAgency Guidance

    DOR and DORA public dashboards showed measurable business and facilitator application a...

    DOR and DORA public dashboards showed measurable business and facilitator application activity.

    Colorado
    Colorado General Assembly SB23-290→

  2. 1 Jan 2025

    ActivePolicy Update

    Denver adopted a local natural-medicine ordinance requiring a local healing-centre licence

    Denver adopted a local natural-medicine ordinance requiring a local healing-centre licence.

    Colorado
    Denver Natural Medicine page→

  3. 1 Jun 2024

    ActiveLaw

    SB 24-198 became law, refining implementation and facilitator-training regulation

    SB 24-198 became law, refining implementation and facilitator-training regulation.

    Colorado
    Colorado General Assembly SB23-290→

  4. 1 May 2023

    ActiveLaw

    SB 23-290 was approved and took effect on 1 Jul 2023, creating the main regulatory arch...

    SB 23-290 was approved and took effect on 1 Jul 2023, creating the main regulatory architecture.

    Colorado
    DOR Natural Medicine Division Home→

  5. 1 Nov 2022

    ActivePolicy Update

    Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, establishing the Natural Medicine Health Act...

    Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, establishing the Natural Medicine Health Act framework.

    Colorado
    Initiative filing text / Blue Book→

  6. 1 May 2019

    ActivePolicy Update

    Denver voters approved Initiative 301, deprioritising criminal enforcement for adult pe...

    Denver voters approved Initiative 301, deprioritising criminal enforcement for adult personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

    Colorado
    Denver Know the Law and FAQ→

Advocacy and Nonprofit Coverage

These organizations have jurisdiction-level policy, advisory, or nonprofit relevance in Colorado. They are separate from physical office locations.

Colorado Natural Medicine Advisory Board
Caucus / Working GroupSubnational / State-LevelExplicit Psychedelic FocusRegulator Public Agency Role

This is a Colorado state advisory board focused on implementing the state’s natural medicine laws and advising regulators on public health messaging, facilitator training, access equity, research, rulemaking, and data reporting. It serves a broad stakeholder mix that includes clinicians, researchers, public health and harm reduction voices, veterans, Indigenous and religious use perspectives, and communities affected by access barriers. Recent board-facing work includes recommendations on ibogaine sourcing and cultural safeguards, which creates collaboration opportunities for researchers, clinicians, policy groups, funders, and patient or community stakeholders interested in regulated access design, implementation quality, and equity.

Medical Access Pathways / Controlled Substance / Scheduling Reform / Health System Implementation Policy / Research and Evidence Policy Briefing

Colorado DORA - Natural Medicine Program and Advisory Board information
Healing Advocacy Fund
Policy Campaign CoalitionSubnational / State-LevelExplicit Psychedelic FocusPolicy Campaign

Healing Advocacy Fund is a state-focused psychedelic access organization serving patients, clinicians, and local stakeholders in Oregon and Colorado, with some publicly stated interest in New Mexico as that state develops a regulated model. Its work emphasizes implementation support, safety, affordability, and practical access, including patient education, clinician resources, adverse-event reporting, and policy changes meant to improve how regulated psilocybin therapy works on the ground. Likely collaboration areas include program evaluation, clinical training, implementation research, patient navigation, reimbursement and affordability work, and policy design support for regulated access models.

Medical Access Pathways / Health System Implementation Policy / Public Education and Awareness / Controlled Substance / Scheduling Reform

Healing Advocacy Fund - Official Website

Regulatory Status

Colorado is the most operationally advanced state in this group. Proposition 122 created the Natural Medicine Health Act framework; SB 23-290 then established the Natural Medicine Advisory Board, an Indigenous working group, facilitator regulation under DORA, and a Department of Revenue Natural Medicine Division for business licensing and regulation. Under Colorado law, adults may engage in specified personal-use conduct involving natural medicine without remuneration, while the regulated access programme governs only “natural medicine” authorised for state-regulated administration. Crucially, the regulated programme is narrower than the personal-use rules. Colorado’s own official Denver FAQ states that regulated natural medicine currently includes psilocybin and psilocin only, while the broader personal-use category includes psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. Sale remains unlawful. As of 15 May 2026, Colorado should therefore be described as having a live state-regulated psilocybin/psilocin services regime, not a general legal market for all classic psychedelics. Local policy still matters, but differently than in California or DC. Denver’s 2019 Initiative 301 deprioritised adult personal-use psilocybin enforcement; by 2025 Denver had adopted its own local natural medicine ordinance and now requires a local healing-centre licence. That local overlay sits on top of the statewide system rather than replacing it.

Medical Access Summary

Colorado now has a real, state-regulated access channel for psilocybin/psilocin administration sessions through licensed healing centres and licensed facilitators. Denver’s official FAQ says access to regulated natural medicine requires an administration session in a licensed healing centre or with a licensed facilitator at a home or healthcare facility, and reiterates that buying or selling natural medicine remains unlawful. That means the Colorado model is neither pharmacy dispensing nor conventional prescription care.[1][2][3]

Capacity is no longer theoretical. The Department of Revenue’s Natural Medicine Division posted business application counts as of 13 Feb 2026 showing approved healing-centre, cultivation, manufacturing, testing, owner and handler applications, while DORA’s natural-medicine page posted monthly facilitator application data and approved training programmes. That demonstrates an operating market infrastructure, even though service availability, pricing and distribution still vary by locality and provider.[4][5][2]

Patients in Colorado can also access ordinary ketamine care and FDA-approved esketamine separately from the natural-medicine system. There is still no verified public reimbursement framework for state-regulated natural-medicine services in the sources reviewed here, so the programme should be presented as a state-licensed access model that is operational but still likely dominated by self-pay. Esketamine remains subject to federal REMS requirements.[3][4][6]

Local Research Map

Mapped trial sites, physical stakeholders, and events linked to Colorado.

Policy and Access Context

Colorado’s programme developed in stages: voter approval in 2022, statutory build-out in 2023 through SB 23-290, implementation refinements in 2024 through SB 24-198, and local licensing overlays such as Denver’s 2025 ordinance. SB 24-198 was especially important because it formally authorised facilitator education programmes under DORA, updated testing and destruction rules, and clarified certain facility and transfer provisions.[1][2][3]

The next policy frontier is expansion beyond psilocybin/psilocin. Proposition 122 and SB 23-290 contemplate future inclusion of DMT, ibogaine and mescaline after 1 Jun 2026 if recommended and approved through the state process. As of 15 May 2026, that expansion has not yet taken effect and should not be treated as live regulated access.[4][5][3]

HB 26-1325 is the main current watchpoint. As of mid-May 2026 it had passed the General Assembly and would establish an ibogaine research pilot programme in the Behavioural Health Administration, contingent on federal approval, while also making changes to licensing priority and rulemaking authority. Because it had not yet become law by 15 May 2026, it should be labelled passed/pending enactment rather than enacted.[2][3][5]

Research Focus

Colorado’s research profile is increasingly connected to, but not defined by, its policy framework. The University of Colorado Anschutz hosts a Psychedelic Research Consortium, and ClinicalTrials.gov results show Colorado-based interventional work including a University of Colorado Anschutz trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and Denver sites in multicentre major depressive disorder studies.[1][2][3]

That matters because Colorado is not only a services-regulation story. It is also becoming a site for conventional sponsor-led drug development and academic investigation, including university-led work at Anschutz and commercial trial-site activity in Denver. However, the state-regulated natural-medicine system and FDA-pathway clinical trials remain legally distinct and should not be conflated.[4][2][1]

Colorado also continues to serve as a national convening location. MAPS announced and then held Psychedelic Science 2025 in Denver, reinforcing Colorado’s visibility for researchers, policy professionals, funders and conference partners even though conference activity is not itself evidence of treatment access or scientific output.[5][4][1]

Implementation Context

Colorado’s implementation machinery is unusually developed. DOR licenses businesses such as healing centres, cultivations, manufacturers and testing facilities, while DORA licenses facilitators. DOR’s homepage says current natural-medicine rules took effect on 1 Oct 2024, and the Colorado Register listed a further Natural Medicine Division rules hearing for 22 Apr 2026.[1][2][3]

DORA’s public materials also give unusually concrete operational detail. Approved facilitator training programmes must offer at least 150 hours across topics including ethics, trauma-informed care, suicide risk, screening, preparation, administration, integration and group facilitation; clinical facilitator applicants must already hold one of several named Colorado clinical licences and complete approved training, practicum and consultation. Session-form libraries include required disclosures, de-identified data opt-out forms, health-history screening, informed consent, supportive-touch consent, transport planning and adverse-reaction reporting.[4][5][1]

The programme is operational but still moving. DORA’s monthly application data and training-programme list, and DOR’s business application counts, show real uptake but also continuing administrative churn. For anyone publishing counts, those numbers should be re-checked immediately before publication because they are dynamic.[1][4][5]

Ecosystem Context

Colorado’s ecosystem now includes policy, training, business and research layers with verified physical presence. DORA’s approved training-programme list includes Colorado-based programmes such as Bodhi Academy in Boulder, the Center for Medicinal Mindfulness in Boulder, and Ceremonia in Arvada. Those are concrete ecosystem actors tied directly to the state’s implementation framework.[1][2][3]

Denver is also a practical ecosystem hub. The city built a natural-medicine workgroup in 2024, adopted a local natural-medicine code in 2025, and requires a local healing-centre licence. Combined with Psychedelic Science 2025 in Denver and the CU Anschutz research presence, Colorado offers a rare combination of operational services infrastructure and visible professional convening.[4][3][5]

For investors and partners, the key distinction is that Colorado has a state-regulated non-FDA natural-medicine services market, but it is not the same thing as a reimbursed medical treatment market. For clinicians and patient-access researchers, the state now provides a lawful facilitated-access route, yet one shaped by licensure, local overlays, training requirements, disclosure rules and likely self-pay economics.[3][4][5]

Key Milestones

May 2019
Denver voters approved Initiative 301, deprioritising criminal enforcement for adult personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms.
Nov 2022
Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, establishing the Natural Medicine Health Act framework.
May 2023
SB 23-290 was approved and took effect on 1 Jul 2023, creating the main regulatory architecture.
Jun 2024
SB 24-198 became law, refining implementation and facilitator-training regulation.
Late 2024
DORA opened facilitator licensing and Colorado agencies began accepting natural-medicine applications.
2025
Denver adopted a local natural-medicine ordinance requiring a local healing-centre licence.
Feb 2026
DOR and DORA public dashboards showed measurable business and facilitator application activity.

Future Outlook

Over the next 12 to 24 months, Colorado is likely to remain the most important US test case for non-FDA state-regulated psychedelic access. Immediate watchpoints include whether additional natural medicines are formally added to the regulated programme after 1 Jun 2026, whether HB 26-1325 becomes law, and how fast local jurisdictions adopt or tighten local licensing overlays.[1][2][3]

Actual patient access should broaden as more licensed healing centres and facilitators come online, but the main constraints are likely to be cost, geographic distribution, local compliance burdens and the still-young training pipeline. There is still no verified reimbursement pathway for natural-medicine services in the primary sources reviewed here, so access growth is likely to be operational rather than payer-driven in the near term.[2][4][5]

Sources and Review

Last updated 15 May 2026. Source links come from the subnational report.

  1. 1Colorado General Assembly SB23-290
  2. 2Colorado General Assembly SB24-198
  3. 3Denver Know the Law and FAQ
  4. 4Denver Natural Medicine page
  5. 5DOR Natural Medicine Division Home
  6. 6DORA Natural Medicine Homepage
  7. 7Initiative filing text / Blue Book