The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Partners with Denver to Train First Responders in Psychedelic Crisis Assessment and Intervention
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has joined forces with the City and County of Denver to provide crucial training to first responders. In a press release on Monday, the 34-year-old nonprofit organization announced its partnership with the city to offer comprehensive training on psychedelic crisis assessment and intervention.
This groundbreaking training, commissioned by the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel (DPMPRP), will cover a range of topics including the history, usage, psychological and physiological response, and potential adverse effects of psilocybin ingestion. It will also address the legal considerations and implications of decriminalization and the role of first responders, as well as the standards and protocols for effective crisis response planning, training, and deployment. Additionally, the training will provide best practices and techniques for assessing, de-escalating, and managing psychedelic crises.
According to MAPS, the DPMPRP was formed after the passage of Ordinance 301 in May 2019, which effectively decriminalized the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms in Denver. This panel is the first of its kind and has become even more significant in 2022, as Colorado became the second state (after Oregon) to legalize medical psilocybin use and the first state to decriminalize specific psychedelics, including psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine, and mescaline.
The local publication Westworld reported this week that the training program has become even more crucial since the passing of Prop 122 in 2023, which led to a brief hiatus for the DPMPRP. However, the panel is now back in action and is expected to play a leading role in Denver’s approach to its medical psilocybin rules.
In 2022, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the measure into law, directing the Department of Revenue to create the Natural Medicine Division. This division is responsible for regulating and licensing the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, storage, distribution, transport, transfer, and dispensation of natural medicine or natural medicine products between licensees.
The measure also requires the Natural Medicine Division to regulate natural medicine, natural medicine products, and natural medicine businesses, including healing centers, cultivators, manufacturers, and testers. It also gives them the power to promulgate necessary rules and perform duties for the regulation of these businesses, including investigatory and disciplinary actions. This partnership between MAPS and Denver is a significant step towards creating a safe and responsible environment for the use of psychedelics.
