The first licensed facility where people can legally buy and consume shrooms in the U.S. will charge over $3,500 for a “high dose” trip.
Eugene Psychedelic Integrative Center is the first psilocybin service center to be licensed by Oregon, the first state in the U.S. to legalize shrooms for adults. Shrooms purchased legally in the state must be taken under supervision by trained facilitators at licensed centers. (Separately, Oregon has decriminalized small-scale possession of all drugs.)
Videos by VICE
Eugene Psychedelic Integrative Center is currently accepting clients to its waitlist, with plans to start offering sessions soon. But according to the center’s price list, the services won’t come cheap.
A “high dose” session, lasting 6 hours, costs $3,500 plus the cost of medicine; the price includes a one-hour prep session and one-hour integration session after taking the psilocybin.
A “level 1 microdose” session lasting 1-2 hours costs $500 for an individual; a “level 2 microdose,” “low dose,” and “medium dose” cost $800, $1,800, and $2,800, respectively, for an individual. Group pricing, which is less expensive, is also available.
“There’s a little flexibility with that based on how many services that you want,” said owner Cathy Jonas in a video posted to the company’s website. “We really want to not only make this a sustainable practice because it was very expensive to even do this thing, to open it up, but we want to serve people. We want to have fun serving people.”
The services won’t be covered by health insurance plans.
Eugene Psychedelic Integrative Center did not respond to VICE News’ request for comment.
While shrooms remain illegal federally, there are many black market delivery services available. One menu offers 60 capsules of microdoses for $160; larger doses ranged from $50 for 3.5 grams to an ounce for $300.
Reggie Harris, founder of Oakland Hyphae, a Black-owned psychedelic education and cultural organization, said half a gram of shrooms costs less than $1 to produce.
“What are we paying for? Are we paying for the 1-2 hours for somebody to sit with you on a microdose?” he said.
“No insurance is paying for this, it’s a straight out of pocket cost and it’s price gouging.”
Eugene Psychedelic Integrative Center will also offer sliding scale pricing, discounted by its “Pay it Forward” donation fund.
Through Oregon’s legal shrooms program, people 21 and older can access psilocybin without needing a referral from a healthcare provider, but they have to complete an intake session with a licensed facilitator.
One U.S.-based ayahuasca curandero (healer), who did not want to be named, said there are ayahuasca retreats in Peru that are around $350—a fraction of the cost of a supervised “high dose” trip at the Eugene facility.
“Access is good. People can have helpful experiences,” he said. “Price, however, makes it really difficult to have a therapeutic experience unless you’re rich.”
Service centers will sell shrooms manufactured by producers licensed by the state.
There are over 20 state-approved programs that are offering training for people who want to be psilocybin facilitators. Facilitators do not need to have formal training as therapists or mental health professionals.
Some training programs have also launched in Colorado, which in November voted to legalize psilocybin healing centers for people 21 and over.
