Oregon Issues First Psilocybin Manufacturing License

Oregon regulators issued the state’s first business license under the state’s historic psilocybin therapy program last week, the Associated Press reports. The licensee, Satori Farms PDX LLC, received its license to begin manufacturing psilocybin products from Oregon Psilocybin Services — a branch of the Oregon Health Authority — last Wednesday.

Oregon’s medical psilocybin program formally launched this January after voters approved the system during the 2020 election.

Psilocybin, the psychedelic substance found in magic mushrooms, has shown promise in treating severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, end-of-life anxiety among the terminally ill, and some mental health conditions. While the substance remains outlawed at the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted psilocybin mushrooms “breakthrough therapy” status for major depressive disorder in 2018, which has led to clinical trials.

Oregon Psilocybin Services has warned the program could be slow to come online, the report said, as regulators must first consider applications for four different types of licenses — manufacturing, laboratories, service centers, and facilitators.

Earlier this month also marked the culmination of the first-ever psilocybin training program by Portland-based InnerTrek, which teaches students how to accompany psilocybin patients during their psychedelic experiences, the report said.

Earlier this month, advocates launched the Psychedelic Medicine PAC, a new political action committee dedicated to supporting candidates for office who support the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.