Oregon Regulator Licenses State’s First Psilocybin Lab
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Oregon’s Health Authority has licensed the state’s first psilocybin testing lab.
In a notice published on April 21, the state health regulator announced it had granted a license to Rose City Laboratories, LLC.
“We want to congratulate Rose City Laboratories, LLC on being the first licensed laboratory for testing psilocybin products from licensed manufacturers,” Oregon Psilocybin Services’ section manager Angie Allbee said in a statement.
“Laboratory testing ensures the safety of psilocybin products, and accurate labeling of psilocybin potency allows clients to participate in administration sessions with products that meet their needs.”
The news comes days after the Health Authority licensed the state’s first three psilocybin facilitators (the organizations that will carry out the therapy sessions).
Back in November 2020, Oregon voters approved a ballot measure to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for therapy sessions. In the intervening years, state authorities have been working to develop the legal program, which was due to begin in January 2023.
According to the Health Authority, therapy sessions using psilocybin can only take place in licensed service centers, which can only offer psilocybin that has been produced by a licensed manufacturer and tested by a licensed lab.
Currently, it remains unclear what psilocybin will be tested for at these licensed labs. If the testing protocols mirror those for cannabis testing, analysis for contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals will be likely requirements.
Speaking to Analytical Cannabis last March, Eric Janusson, PhD, lead chemist at the Vancouver-based Delic Labs, stressed that psilocybin testing, primarily, should help ensure the safety of consumers.
“We need to make sure that if people are taking these that they’re safe and that [the mushrooms] are safe to ingest,” Janusson said.
Beyond safety, Janusson said that magic mushroom testing should prioritize measuring the levels of active psilocybin.
“We’re looking at a new type of therapy using psychedelics to assist people with things like PTSD or mental disorders like anxiety. If we’re going to give them a dose and we want to measure response or try to gauge if it’s working, we need to know how much psilocybin is in the mushrooms.”
