OPS 2024 Winter Newsletter

Welcome to the Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) 2024 Winter Newsletter!

OPS LICENSING STATS

The number of Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) licensees and permitted workers continues to grow! Below are our most recent licensing stats:

 

 

This information is updated weekly in our Weekly Report on Applications for Licenses and Worker Permits webpage.

OPS continues to work with our growing regulated community to ensure that licensees have the information and guidance they need to be compliant with OPS rules.

 

LICENSE RENEWALS

The Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) team has been busy creating systems and updating our application portal to process the first annual renewal applications. We will be publishing new TLC License Renewal Application Guides which will soon be found on the OPS website under each of the license types.

SOCIAL EQUITY

Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) administrative rules require all licensees to submit a social equity plan as part of their license application. Upon renewal of an OPS license, administrative rules also require a licensee to submit a document that reports how their Social Equity Plan was implemented over the past year. We refer to this annual reporting document as the ‘Annual Social Equity Evaluation Report’. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that every licensee evaluates the implementation of goals they prioritized in their Social Equity Plan.

OPS has created a new resource with guidance on what to include in an Annual Social Equity Evaluation Report to support licensees with meeting these requirements.

Annual Social Equity Evaluation Report Guidance

Social Equity Plan Guidance  

 

FACILITATOR TRAINING PROGRAM REMINDER

In 2023, Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) amended administrative rules to clarify that facilitator training programs are required to apply for Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) licensure or exemption from licensure. Applying for HECC licensure or exemption from licensure is necessary to receive and maintain OPS curriculum approval. For more information on this requirement please see the updated Psilocybin Training Program Information page.

If you are a student who plans to enroll in a psilocybin training program, it is important to confirm that the training program meets these requirements. If you enroll in a program that does not meet requirements, your training will not qualify for an OPS Facilitator License.

OPS has created a new Student Information Page which has more information for people who are just beginning their journey to becoming a licensed facilitator in Oregon.

 

CURRENT RULES AND GUIDANCE

In December 2023, Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) adopted rules to address technical fixes, to clarify requirements for training programs, and to implement Senate Bill 303.

Senate Bill 303 is new legislation that requires service centers to collect and report client data related to psilocybin services beginning in 2025. It is important to understand that Senate Bill 303 data will not be collected by licensed service centers or reported to Oregon Psilocybin Services until 2025. OPS will address specific requirements related to Senate Bill 303 data collection and reporting in 2024 rulemaking.  

OPS is committed to ensuring protections around client confidentiality. If a licensed service center chooses to voluntarily report data to a third party, they must first receive client consent prior or during a preparation session using the Notice and Opt-Out of Disclosure of De-identified Data and Authorization to Disclose Personal Identifiable Information forms in accordance with administrative rules.

In January, OPS published OPS Guidance on Administrative Rules  to provide guidance to training programs, licensees, and license applicants on how to comply with current OPS administrative rules. This guidance document will continue to be updated as new guidance is provided, so please continue to reference the most current version posted online.

We invite you to read the OPS Letter to the Public on 2023 Rules which highlights frequent themes identified during the 2023 public comment period and how they have been addressed in the current rules.

You can always find the most current rules at: Oregon Administrative Rules 333-333. And as a reminder, use the ‘Find’ function in your web browser (such as Ctrl+F) to search key topics of interest.

 

OPERATIONAL FORMS

Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) has updated some operational forms based on rules adopted in December 2023.

You can find all operational forms that a client is required to complete as part of their preparation session (and additional conditional forms that may be applicable) on the Access Psilocybin Services webpage.

In addition, operational forms for facilitators can be found on the OPS Facilitator page, and operational forms for service centers can be found on the OPS Service Center page.

 

2024 RULEMAKING

Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) expects to hold public listening sessions each summer and to open administrative rules during the fall of each year. The rulemaking process is informed by recommendations from the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board (OPAB), input from Rules Advisory Committees (RACs), and comments received during public comment periods. 

This year we will continue rulemaking related to Senate Bill 303 and potentially open rulemaking related to recommendations from OPAB. If you haven’t already, please sign-up for the OPS Distribution List to receive invitations to participate in the 2024 rulemaking process.  

 

OREGON PSILOCYBIN ADVISORY BOARD

The Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board (OPAB) meets quarterly to discuss and provide recommendations to OPS. OPAB meetings and their subcommittee meetings are open to the public and include public comment periods. Meeting dates and more information can be found on the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board webpage.

Members of the OPAB are appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. These positions are filled as vacancies become available. If you are interested in serving on the board, please apply to become a board member.  

 

2024 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The 82^nd Oregon Legislative Assembly will convene for the 2024 Legislative Session on Monday, February 5, 2024. OPS will not be introducing legislation this upcoming session. OHA generally does not take positions on bills, but we work with partners, community, and the legislature on any legislative concept we are made aware of that impacts our work or directs us to do work. It is part of the state agency legislative process to explain the effects that a particular concept or bill may have on the section’s work or potential impacts to licensees. Many times, there are important considerations, such as costs of implementation or concerns about equity, access, and safety, that OPS would want to highlight for those seeking to pass legislation.

 

 

Just as we did last legislative session, we would like to learn more about the concepts and bills that will be introduced in this upcoming session. If, and when, legislative concept or bill language is shared with us, we will provide feedback to the sponsors and supporters on any concerns or impacts of the concept, including impacts to the OPS budget. This is part of the state agency legislative process within the executive branch of government.

 

2023 YEAR IN REVIEW

Our 2023 Year in Review offers a summary of what OPS accomplished in 2023. It is also a reminder that we are only months into regulating the nation’s first legal psilocybin services. We would like to thank everyone who has been a part of this work and look forward to collaborating throughout the year ahead. 

 

 OPS RESOURCES 

• Are you interested in accessing services?
  Go to: Access Psilocybin Services
  
  
• Are you a small business looking for more resources?
  Go to: Psilocybin Business Resource Guide
  
  
• Do you have a complaint about an OPS Licensee who has potentially violated our rules?
  Go to: File a Complaint

 

 

We welcome your feedback.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with comments or questions.

www.oregon.gov/psilocybin

• OPS-2024-Winter-Newsletter.pdf