Colorado pushes back approval of psychedelic therapy fee

Colorado officials are extending the public comment period for proposed fees related to the state’s upcoming psychedelic-assisted therapy program, delaying final approval.

The Department of Revenue’s Natural Medicine Division had initially planned to set the fees during a Sept. 16 rulemaking hearing. However, officials decided to continue the hearing into October to allow more time for public input, according to skyhinews.com.

The delay means final fees won’t be set as early as officials had hoped, according to Dominique Mendiola, the division’s senior director. However, the division is still on track to begin accepting business license applications by year’s end.

The proposed fee structure aims to cover an estimated $1.7 million in annual costs for division staff and operations. Lower fees are planned for the first year to encourage early participation.

Tasia Poinsatte, director of the Healing Advocacy Fund in Colorado, who praised the decision, expressed concern that proposed fees for micro-healing centers may be too high in 2027, which could prevent smaller mental health practices from getting into psilocybin therapy. The organization suggested tiered fees based on size or a new category for sole proprietors.

A survey conducted by the Department of Revenue to gauge interest received 117 responses so far, Sky Hi News reported, with varying levels of interest in different license types.

Poinsatte thinks there may be less cultivation and manufacturing applications than the state expects.

“The scale of cultivation for this program is quite small because the therapy model focuses on a small number of moderate- to high-dose sessions with supportive care,” she said.

The final rulemaking hearing is expected to be scheduled for this month, with the division continuing to accept public comments on the draft fees until then.

Rules around training and licensing procedures were finalized in August by the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies and Department of Revenue.

Colorado voters approved the use of psychedelic mushrooms in 2022, with the state aiming to implement the program by 2025.