The Natural Medicine Health Act — Colorado decriminalized five natural psychedelics in 2022 and built a licensed psilocybin healing-center program.
Colorado Proposition 122 made personal use of five natural psychedelics legal under state law for adults 21 and older. Voters approved it in November 2022 with about 53% support. The law is officially called the Natural Medicine Health Act.
The measure does two separate things. First, it removed state criminal penalties for using, holding, growing, and sharing certain natural psychedelics. Second, it set up a regulated program where adults can take these substances at a licensed center with a trained guide.
Colorado is the second US state to create a legal psychedelic program, after Oregon. But Colorado went further than Oregon on one point: it also decriminalized personal possession statewide.
The first licensed healing centers opened in 2025, so 2026 is the first full year of real, regulated access. Other states now watch Colorado as a working model for adding ibogaine and other substances to a legal program. The state is also the only US jurisdiction where ibogaine — a focus of veterans' groups — is both decriminalized and eligible for a future licensed pathway.
Proposition 122 decriminalized five natural psychedelics for adults 21 and older. This means the state will not arrest or charge an adult for personal, non-commercial activity with these substances.
The five covered substances are:
Decriminalized activity covers personal use, possession, growing, and "gifting" — sharing without payment. There is no specific possession weight limit in the law for adults 21+, which sets Colorado apart from most decriminalization measures.
Selling these substances for profit is still illegal in Colorado outside the licensed program. So is sharing them with anyone under 21, driving under the influence, and using them in public. Possessing them on federal land remains a federal crime.
Proposition 122 created a licensed "healing center" model, not a retail market. At a healing center, an adult 21+ takes natural medicine on-site while a trained, state-licensed facilitator supervises. You cannot take the substance home.
A typical visit has three parts: a preparation meeting, the dosing session itself (which can run several hours), and an integration session afterward to make sense of the experience. You do not need a medical diagnosis or a doctor's referral to take part.
Two state agencies run the program. The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) licenses facilitators, healing centers, and the people who grow and test the medicine. The Natural Medicine Advisory Board advises on rules and on whether to add DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline to the regulated program, which launched with psilocybin first.
Colorado's facilitator path does not require a clinical license like a medical or therapy degree. Applicants complete state-approved training, supervised practicum hours, and a consultation requirement, then apply to DORA. This lay-facilitator model mirrors Oregon's. See our guide on how to become a psychedelic therapist for the training routes.
A supervised psilocybin session at a Colorado healing center typically costs about $1,000 to $3,000 or more. Price depends on the dose, the length of support, and whether preparation and integration sessions are bundled in.
Insurance does not cover it. Because psilocybin is still illegal under federal law, health plans will not reimburse these sessions, so clients pay out of pocket. This cost is the single biggest access barrier people report — a working-model detail that rarely shows up in the ballot summaries: the law made access legal, but not affordable. Growing your own for personal use is the only no-cost legal route, and it carries no facilitator support or safety screening.
Colorado and Oregon both run licensed, supervised psilocybin programs, and neither allows retail sales. The big differences are decriminalization and how many substances each program can include. The table compares the two.
| Feature | Colorado (Prop 122) | Oregon (Measure 109) |
|---|---|---|
| Personal possession | Decriminalized for adults 21+ | Not decriminalized statewide |
| Home cultivation | Allowed for personal use | Not allowed |
| Substances in scope | Psilocybin first; can add DMT, ibogaine, mescaline | Psilocybin only |
| Supervised, on-site use | Yes, at licensed healing centers | Yes, at licensed service centers |
| Retail sales | No | No |
| Program launched | Healing centers opened 2025 | Service centers opened 2023 |
When Colorado fits better: if you want the option to legally grow and hold your own, or you care about future ibogaine or DMT access. When Oregon fits better: if you want the more mature program with more operating service centers today. Both require on-site supervised use; see the Oregon Measure 109 guide for that side.
All five substances in Proposition 122 remain Schedule I under federal law. That means they are illegal at the federal level, and Colorado's law does not change that. Federal agents could still enforce federal law, though they have not targeted state psilocybin programs.
Proposition 122 also does not make Colorado a place to buy psychedelics or to use them anywhere you like. There is no store, no mail order, and no public use. For where the rest of the country stands, see our guide to where magic mushrooms are legal and the legal status by state tool.
Personal use, possession, growing, and sharing of psilocybin are decriminalized for adults 21 and older under Proposition 122. Buying it in a store is not legal. Supervised use is available at state-licensed healing centers that began opening in 2025.
No. Colorado has no retail sales or dispensaries for psilocybin. You cannot buy mushrooms in a store. You can grow your own for personal use, or take them under supervision at a licensed healing center.
A supervised session typically costs about $1,000 to $3,000 or more. Insurance does not cover it, because psilocybin is still illegal under federal law, so clients pay out of pocket.
Yes. Ibogaine was one of the five substances decriminalized by Proposition 122 in 2022, along with psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, and mescaline. The regulated healing-center program launched with psilocybin first, and the Natural Medicine Advisory Board can add ibogaine, DMT, and mescaline.
No. Colorado's program is not limited to specific medical conditions. Any adult 21 or older can take part at a licensed healing center after preparation, without a doctor's referral or diagnosis.
Colorado decriminalizes personal possession of five natural psychedelics and allows home growing; Oregon does neither statewide. Both require supervised, on-site use at licensed centers, and neither allows retail sales. Colorado's program can also expand to more substances over time.
Our booking checklist walks through verifying a license, comparing costs, screening a facilitator, and preparing for the day.
→ Legal psilocybin booking checklist · Check legal status by state
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