“I don’t think the industry can survive this. I think [what] you’re going to see over the next couple years is a major contraction to where there’s just a few people surviving.”
By Jake Thomas, Oregon Capital Chronicle
State regulators are seeking steep fee hikes on Oregon’s nascent psilocybin industry, a move that critics say would push the already high price tag of a legal mushroom trip even higher while causing more businesses to close.
The Oregon Health Authority in late June announced proposed fee increases that would affect virtually every corner of the industry, aiming to financially sustain the groundbreaking program. Among the biggest changes would be doubling annual license fees from $10,000 to $20,000 for psilocybin manufacturers and service centers where adults 21 and older take supervised trips.
The potential fee increases come after a wave of service center closures, raising doubts about the viability of Oregon’s legal psilocybin experiment that voters approved in 2020. The state has issued licenses to 39 service centers, about half of which have expired or been surrendered, according to state figures.
“I don’t think the industry can survive this,” said Ryan Reid, the co-founder and operations director of Bendable Therapy, a Bend-based service center.
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