Basalt poised to pass regulations on supervised psychedelics 

The Roaring Fork Valley is starting to feel the come-up as Colorado statewide laws governing the use of psilocybin mushrooms begin to take a noticeable effect. 

Proposition 122, which Coloradans passed in 2022, permits individual use and medical administration of natural medicine, or psilocybin mushroom treatment, in the state. As businesses begin to crop up around the practice, Basalt Town Council is grappling with how to regulate when and where psilocybin mushrooms can be consumed at “natural health centers.”

Basalt Town Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a first reading of an ordinance that will govern where the natural medicine can be accessed. The ordinance, following Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act, follows Aspen’s anticipated openings of two psilocybin treatment centers this summer.

“This evening, (Basalt) staff would recommend asking questions of staff and the attorney’s office, if you have them, taking public comments, and providing council discussion,” Basalt Assistant Planning Director James Lindt told town council. “If you’re comfortable, ultimately, you could approve the ordinance on first reading.”

The Natural Medicine Health Act forbids local governments from outright banning the use of psilocybin mushrooms in city limits but allows governments to regulate where healing centers are permitted. 

Basalt will limit the operation of natural health centers to licensed medical centers outside of residentially-zoned areas. There are currently two Basalt medical centers that would qualify to administer this type of treatment: MidValley Medical Center and Aspen Valley Health building.

Dr. Brooke Allen is the founder of Neurospa, a medical spa that operates in Basalt and Aspen offering a variety of treatments including ketamine therapy. They are planning to offer psychedelic treatments as early as July.

According to Allen, the ordinance, as written, is a step toward codifying rules surrounding psilocybin treatment, as well as complying with statewide regulation. 

“For our business here, as well as our Aspen location, (we) have national medicine facilitator licenses,” she said. “In the future, I think there could be other locations other than medical clinics, that would be perfectly fine to do this kind of work.”

The proposed ordinance does not allow for non-medically licensed facilities to conduct this type of treatment. 

“I don’t think the spirit of the town’s ordinance here is to restrict the medicine in any way,” Allen continued. “I think they’re just trying to balance safety and what the law will allow and does require them to allow.” 

Any potential natural medicine centers also must be a minimum of 1,000 feet away from children’s daycares and schools, measured via pedestrian walkways.

Growth and manufacture of natural medicines will not be permitted in Basalt nor will natural medicine testing required for all centers hoping to administer psilocybin mushrooms to clients; they will need to perform testing at other testing facilities in Colorado. 

Natural medicine centers hoping to establish themselves in Basalt will need to demonstrate plans around security and disposal of regulated substances. According to city documents, Basalt Police Chief Greg Knott reviewed the ordinance and did not have any problems with it as written.