“The choose-your-own-adventure nature of psilocybin, including the possibility of a capital-A adventure, is one of the reasons that the substance has been stuck in legal and cultural limbo for a long time. Even with its newfound trendiness, and the rise of more carefully branded products, it’s likely that definitive research and broadly accessible mushroom chocolates are a while away. According to Ophelia Chong, who started out as an advocate in the cannabis space and has since become an expert in the world of mushrooms, the push for psychedelic legalization has come most emphatically from mental health and medical advocates, including veterans groups, so the process will probably look more like a new medicine coming onto the market than the consumer-focused rollout of legal, recreational weed. Already in Colorado, psychedelic guides working semi-underground face unclear paths toward becoming licensed. At Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin center, a guided session will cost thousands of dollars, especially for the higher doses that research has most clearly shown to be helpful.” January 2024 BY MEGHAN MCCARRON