PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Psilocybin Services recently started approving worker permits and license applications, marking another step forward for the state’s developing magic mushroom industry.
In early January, the Oregon Health Authority started accepting applications for the four types of psilocybin therapy licenses: manufacturer, service center, laboratory and facilitatory.
OHA and the Oregon Department of Human Services announced OPS’ next steps in a release shared on Monday afternoon. According to the agencies, OPS has begun to release weekly reports on the number of applications for licenses and worker permits.
Here’s how many applications were submitted for worker permits and each type of license application, as of the latest weekly report updated on Friday, March 3.
- Manufacturer license: 13
- Service Center license: 6
- Laboratory license: 2
- Facilitatory license: 0
- Worker permit: 143
Of the 164 applications submitted overall, just 39 worker permit applications had been approved by Friday.
“It will take some time for all four license types (manufacturing, laboratory, service centers and facilitators) to become licensed and set up operations,” OHA said. “Each licensed service center, and the licensed facilitators who work with them, will manage their own operations and communications with clients.”
Because OPS is currently approving applications, Oregonians could see a wave of psilocybin service centers and facilitators emerge sometime this year — which could help the industry
now that one of the state’s major psilocybin programs has filed for bankruptcy, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
OPB reported that Synthesis Institute, a Netherlands-based company that coordinated psychedelic practitioner training in Ashland, told its students that their education program would halt ‘indefinitely.’
In some cases, psilocybin training can cost students up to $15,000. The Synthesis Institute’s unforeseen closure in Oregon could call the future of the state’s magic mushroom industry into question, but OPS says that it will ensure that licensees and employees adhere to state laws.