Oregon Just Hit Pause on Psilocybin Fee Hikes. Here's How We Use the Time.
By Sam Chapman, Executive Director, Center for Psychedelic Policy
On September 22, the Oregon Health Authority announced it is withdrawing its proposed psilocybin license fee increases. Fees for service centers, manufacturers, labs and facilitators would have doubled, and the reduced fee program for veterans, nonprofits and low-income providers would have been eliminated. All of that is now off the table.
This happened because Oregonians showed up. Clients, facilitators, service center operators and supporters filled the public comment record and made the case that doubling fees on a program still finding its footing would push providers out and put care further out of reach. OHA cited that feedback in its decision.
We asked Governor Kotek to give the legislature time to get this right, and now they have it. Oregon's psilocybin program is working. The fee structure isn't, and the question in front of lawmakers is no longer whether to fix it, but how.
That's where CPP comes in. Between now and the 2027 session, we're conducting an independent behavioral health economic impact analysis to answer a simple question: can psilocybin therapy be just as effective as the treatments Oregon already pays for, if not more so, at a fraction of the cost? If the answer is yes, the conversation changes completely. It stops being about how Oregon pays for this program and starts being about why we aren't investing more in it. Better outcomes for less, and real access for Oregonians who are struggling.
Now we have the time to prove it.
What's next
The program's budget gap hasn't gone away, and the 2027 legislature will decide how to fund it. We want lawmakers walking into session with hard evidence about what this program is worth to Oregon, and this analysis is the most important work CPP will do this year.
OHA will also open a new rulemaking this fall on issues unrelated to fees, with public comment expected in December, and has promised to publish documents on the psilocybin program budget in the coming weeks. We'll be watching both closely.
Independent analysis costs money, and we need to move quickly to have results in front of legislators before session. If today's news matters to you, please consider a gift to support this work.
Thank you for standing with us. Today is a win. Now let's make the next one count.
In solidarity,
Sam Chapman
Executive Director, Center for Psychedelic Policy
Sam@cppolicy.org