Ten years after Coloradans voted for their state to be one of the first to legalize recreational cannabis, Colorado is again making history as the second state in the country to legalize therapeutic psychedelics for adults.

Colorado voters narrowly approved Proposition 122 with nearly 53% of the votes (as of the morning of November 14^th 97% of the votes have been counted). Their vote thus enacted the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022 (NMHA) which legalizes supervised or facilitated therapeutic sessions for adults twenty-one years and older using certain psychedelic plants and fungi. Click here for our initial takeaways and a high-level summary of key provisions of the NMHA.

Now that therapeutic psychedelics are legal in Colorado, what should be expected next? Below are key dates and next steps as Colorado navigates implementation of the NMHA.

• The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) must establish the Natural Medicine Advisory Board (Board) and appoint initial members to the Board by January 31, 2023. The Board must have 15 members who will be appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Colorado Senate. The primary role of the Board is to advise DORA as to implementation of the NMHA program.
• By September 30, 2023, and annually thereafter, the Board must make recommendations to DORA on certain areas related to natural medicine, such as recommendations related to product safety, herm reduction, and cultural responsibility, training programs, educational and experiential qualifications for facilitators, regulatory considerations for each type of natural medicine and the rules to be promulgated by DORA.
•  DORA has until January 1, 2024 to adopt rules and establish the qualifications, education and training requirements that facilitators must meet prior to providing natural medicine services to participants.
• By September 30, 2024, DORA must adopt rules to implement the NMHA program and begin accepting applications for licensure of facilitators, healing centers, entities to test natural medicines, and any categories of licensure as determined by DORA.
• Once applications are accepted, DORA must make decisions on licensure applications within 60 days of receiving an application.
• From the launch of the NMHA program until June 1, 2026, “natural medicines” are limited to psilocybin and psilocyn. After June 1, 2026, upon recommendation by the Board, DORA may add one of more of the following to types of natural medicines that can be provided under the NMHA program: dimethyltryptamine, Ibogaine, and Mescaline (excluding peyote).

A notable takeaway and something to watch for in the forthcoming rules is a focus on social equity. Seemingly applying lessons learned from the rollout of the state’s cannabis program, the NMHA expressly requires DORA to prioritize equity and inclusivity as it establishes rules to implement the NMHA program. Specifically, DORA is required to adopt rules which: (i) establish procedures, policies and programs to ensure the NMHA program is equitable and inclusive; (ii) promote the licensing of and provision of natural medicine services to (a) persons from communities that have been disproportionally harmed by high rates of controlled substances (including cannabis); (b) persons who face barriers to access to health care; (c) persons who have traditional or indigenous history with natural medicines; and (d) persons who are veterans by, offering, at a minimum reduced fees for licensure and training, incentivizing the provision of natural medicine services at a reduced cost to low income individuals, and incentivizing geographic and cultural diversity in licensing and the provision of and availability of natural medicine services.

In addition, DORA is prohibited from imposing unreasonable financial or logistical barriers that would prevent individuals with lower income from applying for a license and individuals are limited to having a financial interest in five healing centers. Currently, the definition of “individuals” does not include corporations. However, DORA could establish a rule which includes corporations in this limitation and would arguably level the playing field in this budding market.

We will continue to monitor developments and closely follow the rulemaking process as Colorado designs and implements this historical new program.

The post Colorado Legalizes Therapeutic Psychedelics – Now What? appeared first on The National Law Forum.

The 2022 midterm elections produced modest, but perhaps still significant, changes to Congress. Democrats outperformed in many parts of the country, significantly stemming the tide of the “red wave” many analysts were expecting.

The results for partisan control of Congress remain in doubt.

The power balance in the U.S. Senate may not be known until next month, but the Democrats are seemingly poised to retain control. The Pennsylvania Senate seat flipped to the Democrats while Nevada could flip Republican with the Democratic incumbent currently behind. Three other Senate contests remain uncalled, with the incumbent party narrowly positioned to win all three. That would leave the Senate tied, waiting for the results of a Georgia run-off in December to determine which party controls the Senate.

The House of Representatives appears likely to shift to Republican control, but by the slimmest of margins. The final outcome and margins in the House will not be known until more votes are counted and several very close races are called. If Republicans win control of the House, as seems likely, it is unclear if their razor-thin majority—which could be between two and twelve seats—will allow their leaders to govern effectively.

To help assess the 2022 midterm election, we have prepared a comprehensive guide that summarizes the results and their impact on the 118th Congress, which convenes in January. The Election Guide lists all new members elected to Congress, updates the congressional delegations for each state, and provides a starting point for analyzing the coming changes to House and Senate committees, including potential new chairs and ranking members.

Our committee analysis assumes that the Democrats retain control in the Senate, but Republicans flip the House and chair committees.

Please click here to download the most up-to-date version of this Election Guide, which will be updated on an ongoing basis as more of the close races are called and committees are finalized.

The post 2022 Midterm Election Guide appeared first on The National Law Forum.