One Chance to Grow Up: Tastes Great! Less Protection for Kids?
Colorado Department of Revenue’s Natural Medicine Division would allow psychedelics
in kid-friendly candies in draft rules
DENVER – The recently released draft psilocybin rules from the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Natural Medicine Division (NMD) do not sufficiently protect kids and their still-developing brains from the powerful drug.
The NMD will hold a permanent rulemaking hearing in person and virtually on Thursday, July 25 at the Division’s offices to accept final comments from the public and interested stakeholders. One Chance to Grow Up will be available for media interviews throughout the day.
One Chance to Grow Up originally formed to protect kids after recreational cannabis was legalized in Colorado 12 years ago. The nonpartisan nonprofit is broadening its focus to address the clear parallels emerging in the rush to implement the regulations for psychedelics.
A big concern: The draft NMD rules contemplate making psilocybin available in “soft confection and chocolate” form.
“While psilocybin is not currently a direct-to-consumer dispensary model like cannabis, making it available in forms that are appealing to children is our major issue,” One Chance to Grow Up Executive Director Henny Lasley said. ”If it’s billed as a medicine, make it available in capsule form, not in gummies or chocolate. If adults are concerned about how it tastes, chase a capsule with a Kit Kat.”
One Chance to Grow Up has health and safety concerns about the possibility of psilocybin products being ingested by kids because the psychedelic product can be available outside of the regulated healing center model. “It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when a child will accidentally ingest psilocybin thinking it’s candy so long as the drug comes in confection form,” Lasley said.
One Chance to Grow Up is submitting a petition that collected the names of 127 concerned citizens supporting our stance that the State should not allow psychedelic drugs to be in chocolate and soft confection forms.
“We already know that cannabis in candy forms has led to numerous emergency room visits and calls to poison control centers due to youth ingestion and we see the same scenario playing out here,” Lasley added. “This issue should be a concern to all Coloradans.”
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Contact: Alton Dillard, One Chance to Grow Up
media@onechancetogrowup.org, 303-929-7299
