Part 1: The Birth of the First Legal Psilocybin Industry
In November 2020, Oregon voters made history by passing Measure 109, creating the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act (OPSA)—the first legal framework in the United States for regulated psilocybin services. It was a groundbreaking moment, but also the beginning of a long and complex journey.
As the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) began designing the regulatory framework, industry pioneers quickly realized that without a unified voice, the rules could be overly restrictive, expensive, or impractical for small, community-based businesses. So, in the fall of 2022, a grassroots alliance formed to fill that void: the Oregon Psilocybin Services Collaborative Community (OPSCC).
OPSCC was created to unite aspiring licensees, facilitators, educators, policy advocates, and business professionals in a shared mission: to build an accessible, equitable, and successful psilocybin ecosystem in Oregon.
The founding working group—composed entirely of volunteers—brought a range of perspectives:
- Kayci Marie Mitchell, a passionate voice for equity in psychedelic access
- Be Friend, a systems thinker and policy strategist
- Heidi Venture, a future service center owner with a background in advocacy
- Andrew Yorra, a seasoned policy advocate and operations advisor
- Patrick Sellers, a longtime educator and visionary
- Jon Dennis, a lawyer and advocate for ethical regulation
- Mason Marks, a legal scholar and privacy expert with national influence in psychedelic law
- Brian Pilecki, a clinical psychologist and researcher
- Jesse Koenig, an organizer and process innovator
- Andrea Shuman, a voice for clinical integrity and service center design
From the start, OPSCC emphasized collaboration, open communication, and coordinated action. Their vision was clear: Oregon’s psilocybin services could be a model for the world, but only if community voices were centered in shaping how the industry grew.
Part 2: Speaking Up — Rulemaking and Public Comment Campaigns
As OHA drafted rules throughout late 2022, OPSCC launched a massive community-driven effort to influence the process.
They created a comprehensive Public Comment Memo, accompanied by detailed rationales for over a dozen proposed rule revisions. Their goals ranged from lowering barriers to access and equity, to making operations more financially viable and client-centered.
Key proposals included:
- Microdosing: Allowing practical, affordable, facilitator-supported microdosing sessions
- Emergency Circumstances: Creating realistic obligations for handling medical or psychiatric crises
- Touch and Consent: Permitting supportive touch in healing contexts with clear consent
- Animals: Allowing therapy animals and service animals on licensed premises
- Restroom Requirements: Easing overly burdensome restroom infrastructure mandates
- Supportive Personnel: Allowing a second non-facilitator person to be present for client safety or care
- License Fees: Tiering or reducing fees to support small and BIPOC-owned businesses
- Group Sizes: Giving facilitators the discretion to expand group size within safe parameters
- Video Surveillance: Permitting use of cloud-based systems, not just hardwired servers
OPSCC didn’t stop at writing the proposals—they launched a full advocacy campaign:
- Email Templates: Pre-written letters for public testimony
- Social Media Memes: Shareable images with core messages
- Live Trainings: Webinars on how to testify and submit comments
OPSCC members testified at all three public hearings in November 2022, and coordinated hundreds of written submissions to OHA before the deadline.
While not all changes were accepted, some—including permissions around cloud-based video systems and adjustments to restroom requirements—were directly influenced by this effort.
This was the first visible demonstration of OPSCC’s unique power: bringing people together to speak clearly, publicly, and professionally in a policy setting that was new to most.
Part 3: Grappling with 280E
By Fall of 2022, the community turned to another existential challenge: federal tax code section 280E. Under this rule, any business trafficking a Schedule I substance—like psilocybin—is prohibited from deducting standard business expenses. This could mean paying taxes on gross revenue rather than net income, putting most service centers at risk of failure.
OPSCC organized again. A new working group formed, led by Heidi Venture and supported by Jesse Koenig. Their first act: gather real-world insights from CPAs and tax attorneys.
They discovered:
- Many Oregon accountants were unfamiliar with 280E
- The most informed professionals were risk-averse and vague
- Accountants for the cannabis industry had the most experience
- Strategies to isolate non-psilocybin services in separate business entities could reduce risk—but required costly legal work
OPSCC produced a comprehensive summary of 280E strategies, distributed it across the community, and hosted Zoom meetings to foster industry-wide coordination.
They helped facilitate access to webinars featuring experts including:
- Dave Kopilak and Kaci Hohmann (Emerge Law Group)
- Justin Botillier (Calyx Accounting)
- Matt Walding (Santos Walding LLP)
- Scott Bargaehr (Lewis Group CPAs)
- Dean Guske (Guske & Company)
Though there were no simple answers, OPSCC ensured that new operators weren’t left alone to navigate this complex terrain.
Part 4: SB 303 and the Fight for Data Privacy and Equity
In early 2023, Oregon Senate Bill 303 introduced requirements for service centers to collect and report data on every client served. The intent was data-driven policy improvement. But the proposed language raised red flags:
- No clarity on what data would be collected
- No limits on how data could be used
- No requirement for informed client consent
OPSCC went to work.
Led by Jesse Koenig and Andrew Yorra, OPSCC members met with legislators, collaborated with legal counsel, and drafted a community-backed amendment. Their version of SB303 included:
- Clear consent: Clients must understand and opt in to data collection
- Aggregate-only data: No individual or identifiable info
- Access equity: Safeguards to prevent data requirements from harming marginalized communities
OPSCC members testified in multiple hearings, sent hundreds of letters to lawmakers, and proposed amendments through Rep. Ed Diehl. Though the final bill passed without the full OPSCC amendment, key improvements were made:
- OHA staff publicly committed to aggregate-only data
- Client opt-out rights were clarified
- The worst data privacy risks were mitigated
The bill wasn’t perfect—but OPSCC shaped it significantly, and ensured transparency was part of the public conversation.
Part 5: Listening Sessions and a Seat at the Table
OPSCC’s credibility grew with every campaign. By mid-2023, OHA began hosting listening sessions to gather feedback on the ongoing implementation of OPSA. OPSCC encouraged wide participation—and its members showed up in force.
Later that year, OHA convened formal Rules Advisory Committees (RACs) on three critical topics:
- Technical Fixes to OPSA rules
- SB303 Implementation
- Facilitator Training and Higher Education Oversight
OPSCC secured seats on all three RACs:
- Be Friend: Technical Fixes
- Jesse Koenig: SB303 Implementation
- Jon Dennis: Facilitator Training & HECC RAC
OPSCC also hosted public video calls to collect community feedback and share RAC updates. This transparent, grassroots engagement process helped make OPSCC the de facto liaison between OHA and much of the industry.
Part 6: Lessons from the Frontlines and What Comes Next
OPSCC did something rare in the world of policy and business: they built a volunteer-run, decentralized network that influenced state policy, educated new business owners, and promoted shared values of access, safety, and inclusion.
They did it without funding. Without official nonprofit status. Without a PR team.
They succeeded by showing up—with skill, with humility, and with each other.
Some of the volunteers behind OPSCC have gone on to launch their own service centers or training programs. Others continue to work behind the scenes. But all of them—Heidi, Kayci, Be, Andrew, Patrick, Jon, Mason, Brian, Jesse, and Andrea—played essential roles in shaping a better future.
The psilocybin industry in Oregon is still in its infancy. New threats and opportunities will arise. But OPSCC offered a model for how we might respond: through collaboration, shared leadership, and the belief that even complex systems can evolve if we work together.
The Oregon model didn’t just emerge from a law. It was built by people.
