"Jenna Kluwe remembers all the beautiful moments she saw in a converted dental clinic in east Portland. For six months, she managed the Journey Service Center, a psilocybin service center where adults 21 and older take supervised mushroom trips. She watched elderly clients with terminal illnesses able to enjoy life again. She saw one individual with obsessive compulsive disorder so severe they spent hours washing their hands who could casually eat food that fell on the floor."
"In 2020, Oregon made history by becoming the first US state to legalize the use of psilocybin in a supervised setting, paving the way for magic mushrooms to treat depression, PTSD and other mental health challenges. A flurry of facilities like the Journey Service Center, as well as training centers for facilitators to guide the sessions, sprung up across the state. But five years later, the pioneering industry is grappling with growing pains."
"The state's total number of licensed service centers has dropped by nearly a third, to 24, since Oregon's psilocybin program launched in 2023. The state's 374 licensed facilitators, people who support clients during sessions, similarly fell. And just this week, Portland's largest shroom room an 11,000 sq ft venue with views of Mt Hood offering guided trips in addition to corporate retreats reportedly closed down."
Jenna Kluwe managed the Journey Service Center for six months and observed dramatic therapeutic improvements in clients, including terminally ill elderly regaining enjoyment and a person with severe OCD overcoming compulsions. Oregon legalized supervised psilocybin use in 2020, enabling facilities and facilitator training programs to proliferate. Since the program launched in 2023, the number of licensed service centers has fallen by nearly a third to 24, and licensed facilitators have also declined from initial levels. Several service centers, including a large Portland venue, have closed amid financial difficulties. Owners cite revenue challenges as a primary reason many operators are not renewing licenses.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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