On his feet, however, were a pair of ski boots.

For nine years Weber has organized the San Juan Skijoring competition, comprised of races in which skiers and snowboarders pulled by horses aim to complete an obstacle course made of snow. It’s Colorado’s version of a winter rodeo with additional high-adrenaline events like big air, which sees competitors jump over cars.

Organizers used 1.2 million gallons of water to create snow for this year’s course in Ridgway. The fastest competitors completed runs in under 25 seconds.

Weber has spent many years on horseback pulling athletes through the courses, and he currently competes in the professional division atop his trusty equine partner. But more recently, he decided to strap on a pair of skis and assume the position in tow. He competed last Friday in the novice division, which is specifically for newbies to the sport.

“It’s the most fun you can have with your pants on,” Weber said excitedly after his first ride. “People want to go out and buy a Corvette that has a lot of horsepower. Give me one horsepower on a skijoring track and I’m happy.”

Skijoring is said to have originated in Scandinavia, where residents rode the historic equivalent of skis and were pulled by horses as a means of transportation. The sport made its first and only Olympic appearance in the 1928 Winter Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. More recently, it’s become popular among skiers and horseback riders because it’s a seemingly uncanny combination.

Salt Lake City resident Jackie Nadel was first introduced to skijoring by a friend who attended a competition in Utah. Nadel couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but as an avid skier who grew up riding horses, she couldn’t resist the urge to try it.

“The most similar thing I could say is it’s like water skiing, with a little bit more excitement and a little more unpredictability,” she said.

As Nadel stepped onto the Ridgway track and adjusted the rope in her hands, she felt her stomach turning. She’s competed before, but few things compare to the feeling of the rope going taut and launching in action. Seconds later, she cleared the first obstacle, gaining some air that almost threw her off kilter.

“It’s similar to some riding in general, it’s a huck and pray,” Nadel said.

Nadel is working to get more women involved in skijoring, especially young women who competed in sports during high school and college. Recruiting first-timers appears to be a pretty easy sell.

Lacey Andersen of Durango competed in San Juan Skijoring’s novice division for the first time last week after a friend who rides horses had their skier drop out of the competition. Andersen, a member of the ski patrol at Purgatory Resort, volunteered to fill the position without doing a single training session.

“You don’t get to do any practice runs or anything. You literally just look at the course and then your first time skiing it behind the horse is your run,” she said. The cheetah-print jacket and fringed chaps over her ski boots didn’t earn her any style points, officially, but they did help boost her confidence.

Similarly, Cam Stark had “a good friend who’s a horse person” and decided to give skijoring a shot. Before the debut run of his nascent skijoring career, the Montrose resident said he felt a little nervous, but he was hardly shaking in his faux fur coat and telemark skis. After completing the course, though, it was pure exhilaration.

“The centrifugal force around the first two turns, that’s where you really felt it,” Stark said. If the rope gets slack, there’s a feeling of whiplash when it pulls tight again, he added.

Skier Mike Ramsden of Grand Junction donned a neon green jumpsuit and partnered with his girlfriend to try skijoring for the first time. On his second run, he took a hard fall over the tips of his skis.

“That’s probably going to hurt tomorrow,” he said afterward. So would he do it again? “Absolutely.”

San Juan Skijoring was the first of several upcoming competitions in Colorado. Here’s where you can check out the action throughout the winter.

Skijoring events in Colorado 2025

Skis and Saddles: Jan. 18-19 at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds, 344 Highway 84, Pagosa Springs. Entry costs $10 for a day pass or $15 for a weekend pass. Children ages 12 and younger get in for free.

Estes Park Skijor: Jan. 24-26 at the Estes Park Event Complex, 1125 Rooftop Way, Estes Park. Entry costs $17.30 for a day pass or $28 for a weekend pass.

Silverton Skijoring: Feb. 15-16 in downtown Silverton. Entry is free.

Leadville Ski Joring: March 1-2 in downtown Leadville. Entry is free.

Rosenberger was first introduced to CBD more than a decade ago when searching for something to help her dog, Punkie, who was anxious and epileptic. When thunderstorms rolled through, the Yorkie would whimper and shake. Rosenberger was afraid her behavior might trigger a seizure.

Punkie’s neurologist recommended giving her CBD in combination with the dog’s seizure medication to sooth her symptoms. Rosenberger thought it couldn’t hurt to try, but was genuinely surprised when she noticed behavioral changes.

“When I started giving her the CBD oil, she was not reactive to those things,” the Thornton resident said. “I was like, ‘This is awesome.’”

Though Punkie has since passed, Rosenberger still uses CBD to treat another dog. Her 4-year-old rescue, Cherish, was previously abused and is terrified of loud noises. If there are storms or holiday fireworks in the forecast, Rosenberger will put drops of CBD oil in her food up to a week in advance, which makes the blue heeler calmer, less reactive and less playful, her owner said.

The market of CBD pet products has exploded in recent years as cannabis has become both legalized and normalized across the United States. A 2021 report from Brightfield Group estimated the market to reach $629 million in sales, driven primarily by people seeking out alternative treatments for their dogs’ anxiety. While the perceived benefits are often shared anecdotally among pet owners, local researchers who have studied the effects of CBD with man’s best friend say there are merits to their claims – with some caveats about the specific product and how it’s administered.

Dr. Steph McGrath, a veterinary neurologist and an associate professor at Colorado State University, has been studying the effects of CBD in dogs since 2015, when the cannabinoid was popularized for treating children with epilepsy. At the time, she wondered if it might offer similar therapeutic potential to dogs.

McGrath has conducted clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of CBD to treat epilepsy, cancer and dementia in dogs, some of which are ongoing. She’s also looked at its ability to help with chronic pain and anxiety. While some dogs see benefits from CBD, others don’t seem to be affected by it, she said.

“Some dogs seem to respond well – it’s very calming, and it can help with pain and quality of life overall. And some dogs, to be totally honest, I don’t see really any benefits, even at higher dosages,” McGrath said. “I can’t quite figure out why.”

That mirrors Rosenberger’s experience: Her 9-month-old shepherd-collie mix, Daisy Joy, doesn’t seem to respond to CBD oil. Instead, Rosenberger feeds her chewable melatonin treats when she’s anxious.

Still, McGrath said CBD is safe for dogs, so owners looking for a remedy for their pets’ condition should feel comfortable giving it a shot. One exception is dogs with liver issues, as there are some safety concerns about CBD’s impact on that organ specifically.

Dr. Rob Landry also studied CBD use for dogs during tenures at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, and is decidedly confident about its use to treat chronic pain. CBD reduces pain from inflammation and degenerative diseases, he said, improving an animal’s quality of life.

Landry’s view is informed, in part, by a study he conducted at his clinic, the Colorado Center for Animal Pain Management and Veterinary Care Center in Broomfield. From 2017 to 2019, Landry treated 48 dogs with hip and elbow dysplasia or pain from cancer, and added CBD to their medication regimen. Owners completed surveys about their pets’ behaviors, noting changes over time.

Landry said every owner reported some improvement, whether it be that the dog was able to get up and move around more easily, their demeanor changed positively, or the animal desired to play more. “The beauty of the veterinary side of things is no placebo effect,” he said.

His conclusion: “I feel no aging senior pet or any pet that has any degenerative joint disease should ever, ever go without the benefit of CBD.”

Choosing the right product

Finding the right product for your pet can be challenging amid the myriad tinctures and treats available because CBD remains largely unregulated.

Both McGrath and Landry suggested buying a full-spectrum product that is derived from hemp rather than marijuana. Full-spectrum formulas include CBD alongside other terpenes and cannabinoids. Scientists believe cannabinoids work in concert with one another to amplify the benefits, a concept called the entourage effect, versus when they are isolated from one another.

Just make sure whatever you buy is low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can be toxic to dogs, Landry added.

Both vets recommended obtaining a certificate of analysis (COA) from the manufacturer to confirm the product has been tested and contains what the label says it does. The COA should match the batch number of the bottle. If a company is unwilling to provide documentation, that should be a dealbreaker.

How you give CBD to your dog also matters. In his study, Landry found giving dogs CBD oil tinctures sublingually was the best way to hit the target milligram dose. If your dog won’t cooperate, you can put the tincture on his or her food, but Landry suggests adding more than the recommended dose because food blocks some of the absorption.

While some dogs show the effects quickly, it may take time for others to do so. Landry said to give it at least two weeks before increasing the dosage, while McGrath said to stick with it at least a month. And be sure to consult your vet along the way.

“It’s kind of still an art right now. Be patient,” she said. “I would give it a couple of months and, if it doesn’t work, call it a day.”

Recommended products

Not sure where to start? Check your local pet store or choose from the following list of companies recommended by our experts.

• ABSC Organics
• cbdMD
• Extract Labs
• HempMyPet
• Panacea Life Sciences
• Tempo and Tails

Take it from Dr. Kate Smith, medical director for Animal Urgent Care in Arvada, which gets calls about pets that have consumed pot almost every time she’s in the office.

Sometimes, the owners aren’t aware that’s what happened. They call and report the dog seems wobbly or out of it, like a human that’s had one too many drinks. Other times, there’s evidence like an empty edibles container or a ripped baggie.

“It is incredibly, incredibly common,” Smith said, adding that even if you don’t keep cannabis in the house, dogs will sniff it out on the ground, on trails and in other places.

“I’ve had to tell a uniformed police officer that I thought his dog ingested THC. Like his personal dog, not his working dog. So it happens all the time in Colorado,” she said.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which operates a poison control center and hotline, the number of potential exposures among pets has skyrocketed as more states have legalized marijuana.

In 2019, the ASPCA received 2,812 calls about marijuana toxicity. That grew to 6,796 calls in 2023 with about 2.1% of those coming from Colorado. Smith said the vast majority of cases she sees involve dogs. (Cats “seem to have a more discerning palate,” she said.)

So what should you do if you think your pup got into your pot?

We spoke with Dr. Smith and Dr. Kramer Gopffarth, lead and founding veterinarian at Livewell Animal Hospital in Denver, about the telltale signs your dog has ingested cannabis, the vet’s biggest concerns, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to admit it if your marijuana is missing.

Symptoms of THC toxicity in dogs

Dogs have more cannabinoid receptors than humans do, so they are extremely sensitive to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in marijuana that causes a high. Within 30 minutes of consuming cannabis, they’re likely to exhibit symptoms, Gopffarth said.

While symptoms vary depending on the dose and size of the dog, the most common signs of THC toxicity include stumbling, stuporous and lethargic behavior, urinary incontinence, vomiting, and a hyperreactive reaction to stimuli. For example, your dog might flinch uncharacteristically when approached.

“Sometimes you can see bloodshot eyes,” Gopffarth added.

In severe cases, THC toxicity can lead to a drop in dogs’ body temperature and heart rate, unconsciousness, tremors and seizures. Experts recommend bringing your dog to the vet to check his or her vital signs.

It’s worth noting that while THC is toxic for dogs, it is rarely fatal. Animals should return to normal within 48 to 72 hours, Gopffarth said.

“We still recommend getting in to be seen to make that assessment in person, to see if we need to hospitalize them. Or do we go home and let them enjoy some Pink Floyd and a lava lamp?” he said.

Identifying what your dog ate

From the veterinarian’s perspective, a dog eating marijuana flower is less concerning than edibles. That’s because edibles are often manufactured with other things that can be toxic to dogs, such as chocolate or the artificial sweetener xylitol. Xylitol, specifically, can cause the dog’s system to release insulin and cause a hyperglycemic response. In large doses, it can cause liver failure, Smith said.

If you don’t seem to be missing any cannabis products, consider less likely sources like the cotton swabs used to clean your pipes or other devices, or ground scores your dog may have picked up on a walk.

“We have seen dogs that eat human feces,” and if it contains marijuana, “they can actually get relay toxicosis,” Smith said.

Call your vet – and be honest

A dog’s reaction to THC will vary depending on the animal’s weight, how much it consumed, and exactly what it ate. When you call your vet, be prepared to offer specifics.

Smith and Gopffarth said it’s often difficult to get pet owners to admit that marijuana may be to blame for their dog’s symptoms. But the more forthcoming you can be, the better vets will be able to treat your pup.

“Even with it being legal, there still seems to be some sort of stigma around it with pet owners,” Smith said. “To be honest, we don’t care. There’s literally no judgment from us; we would rather know than not know.”

It’s especially important because the symptoms from THC toxicity can mimic those from the ingestion of other, more toxic substances like ethylene glycol or anti-freeze. “If marijuana is a possibility, it’s definitely a better possibility,” Smith said.

Both experts reiterated that there won’t be any legal ramifications for pet parents unless they see obvious signs of malicious intent or neglect.

If the dog is asymptomatic, vets might induce vomiting. Or if the dog does have symptoms, they might give it anti-nausea medication to prevent vomiting and potential aspiration. They might also give the animal fluids under the skin.

If a case seems mild, they’ll send the dog home to relax. In more severe cases, your vet may request hospitalization.

“If you’re ever concerned, just get them to your vet,” Gopffarth said. “Getting them checked out for safety and peace of mind is always a good thing.”

Oregon was the first state to legalize psilocybin therapy in 2020 and mental health-focused businesses there began offering it in 2023. Unsurprisingly, local regulators have looked to Oregon for guidance as they develop their own rules and regulations.

There are already lessons to be learned. A year and a half after the nascent industry got off the ground, some of Oregon’s psilocybin service centers are struggling to stay open. One in Portland closed earlier this year after operating for just six months.

Oregon’s service centers are where people go to have a therapeutic psilocybin experience or a guided trip, if you will. (In Colorado, these facilities are called “healing centers.”) But in Oregon, owners say the cost of doing business is so expensive that it threatens the model altogether.

Last June, Dee Lafferty opened Inner Guidance Services in Albany, Ore., which served about 165 clients in its first year. But when the time came to renew her center’s license, which costs $10,000 annually, Lafferty launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover the expense.

“Unfortunately the program in Oregon is not set up in a way to where it is profitable. So we do not have the $10,000,” Lafferty said in a Facebook video promoting her campaign.

But the community stepped up, and within two days, eight people had donated enough money to help Inner Guidance Services reach its goal. While that provided a stopgap, Lafferty doesn’t know how she’ll cover next year’s fee.

“When you look at what you have to pay for the facilitators, for the space, rent, electricity — all of the things that you have to have — what have you to pay sums up to more than what you make reasonably,” she said.

Licensing fees are a hot topic in Colorado, as regulators barrel toward finalizing what it will cost for entrepreneurs to participate in this new industry. It’s one of the last pieces to get settled after they spent a year-plus determining occupational requirements for facilitators and rules governing the business ecosystem surrounding psychedelic therapy.

Challenges like the ones Lafferty described were common in the early days of marijuana legalization, said Rachel Gillette, a Denver-based attorney and head of the cannabis and psychedelics group at the Holland & Hart law firm. Even today, banks, landlords and insurance companies often upcharge businesses that work with federally controlled substances because they’re considered more risky, she said.

Additionally, these businesses are subject to a federal tax code that prohibits them from deducting operating expenses from taxable income, driving up costs.

“Everything seems to come with a little bit of premium on it because it’s something that’s federally illegal,” Gillette said. “Until (psilocybin) loses its stigma, until it’s federally legal in some respect, I think that continues, unfortunately.”

Compliance costs don’t stop with initial licensure, she added. These young industries continually evolve and businesses need to adapt to new regulations. Gillette expects there will be a smaller customer base for psychedelic-assisted therapy because it’s so new and because, unlike cannabis, Colorado won’t permit retail mushroom dispensaries.

“It’s going to take time to build the business so that people understand what it is,” she said. “I don’t see somebody opening their doors for a natural medicine center and having lines out the door like they did on the first day of recreational cannabis. It’s not going to happen.”

Pricy for patients

The solution to sustainability is not as simple as passing costs onto the customer, Lafferty said. Psilocybin services are already notoriously pricy in Oregon, where a single guided trip can cost thousands of dollars for the drugs and for a facilitator who supervises each client while they’re under the influence for several hours. Although psychedelic-assisted therapy is considered a mental health treatment by those in the industry, it’s not yet covered by insurance.

“The biggest thing we learned is that the way the Oregon model is set up, it’s a little bit over the price range for our target market, which we knew, but it’s been confirmed,” Lafferty said.

In its first year, Inner Guidance Services provided the equivalent of $33,000 in free services to individuals who could not afford to pay, Lafferty said. Since opening, she expanded the center’s offerings to include microdosing counseling and introductory low doses for people who are new to psilocybin or hesitant to commit to a large dose. People can also register for group sessions, which are cheaper because the cost is split among several participants.

“We are trying to not close, so we are trying a little bit of everything,” Lafferty said.

Jenna Kluwe, co-owner of the now-shuttered The Journey Service Center in Portland, said the public needs more education so they can see the value of their investment not just for the trip, but also the sessions before and after. Those sessions, called preparation and integration, are integral to long-lasting change, she said. Kluwe’s clients have described a guided psilocybin trip as several years of talk therapy — and therapy on its own isn’t always cheap.

“The value of this needs to be emphasized more and more for folks. Not just the sticker shock, but the value,” said Kluwe.

The Journey Service Center closed in March after its investor halted funding, she said. Kluwe now works at another center called Fractal Soul running its equity program.

Lowering barriers to entry

One difference between the programs in Colorado and Oregon is that the laws here allow healthcare providers to integrate psilocybin therapy into their existing practices. (In Oregon, the businesses, facilities and staff must be separate duplicating costs for current healthcare professionals like Lafferty, a social worker with a private practice.)

Regulators created a micro-healing center license for those places that intend to host just a couple of psilocybin sessions per month versus specializing in that type of treatment. Advocates are adamant the micro-healing center license will lower the barriers to entry in Colorado and streamline access for individuals who already have a therapist or psychiatrist. During a rulemaking hearing on Sept. 16, however, they shared concerns that the currently proposed fees are too high.

In its draft rules, the Department of Revenue proposed micro-healing centers pay $3,000 for application and compliance fees in 2025, before ramping up to a cumulative $5,000 in 2026 and $12,000 by 2027. The phased increase in fees is intended to both incentivize early participation and eventually fund the agency’s administrative work overseeing the industry, regulators said.

Shannon Hughes is a social worker who currently offers ketamine-assisted therapy at her practice, An Enduring Love, in Fort Collins. She sees psilocybin as another tool in the behavioral health toolkit and hopes to integrate it once it’s legal. An Enduring Love gets calls weekly from people interested in trying it.

The most logical way to offer that option would be to obtain a micro-healing center license, Hughes said. But if she had to pay $12,000 per year to do so, “it would not fiscally make sense for our small practice.”

“I really don’t know anybody in the mental health community who that would be viable for,” Hughes said. “So I was disappointed and discouraged because you have to be a large operation to afford $12,000-plus in fees.”

It’s worth noting that all license types, including those for cultivation and manufacturing, will be subject to increased fees by 2027. For example, the latest draft rules dictate a standard healing center – meaning one that intends to specialize in psychedelic-assisted therapy – would be required to pay $6,000 in application and compliance fees in 2025, $8,000 in 2026, and $16,000 by 2027.

“There’s a concern that this current structure and approach will be an inoperable program,” Tasia Poinsatte, director of the Healing Advocacy Fund, said during the recent rulemaking hearing, citing challenges in Oregon. “If we set fees that high and discourage participation today, it’s going to make it that much harder to get this off the ground in the first place.”

Regulators plan to discuss licensing fees again at a meeting on Oct. 21.

Until recently, NA offerings weren’t widely available at bars. But that’s changing both in response to shifts in consumers’ drinking habits and broader education about no- and low-ABV products, categories that continue to grow. Gone are the days when folks who wanted a sober beverage needed to settle for something from the soda gun. Bars and restaurants, including fine dining establishments, now offer robust menus of NA cocktails, alcohol-free beers that stand up to the real thing, and even tasting menus that substitute traditional wine pairings for NA beverages.

“The thing you’re seeing and that is overdue is more sophisticated versions of non-alcoholic drinks. So rather than calling everything a virgin-something, we’re really starting to see the craft cocktail movement embrace non-alc,” said Jump, a celebrated local mixologist who served as the bar manager at the local Death & Co. in Denver for four years.

Jump is a leader in this space. This summer, she was named the Best U.S. Bar Mentor at the Spirited Awards, part of the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, for her “unwavering efforts to prioritize health and wellness in the hospitality industry.”

Jump does that, in part, through Focus on Health, an organization she co-founded in 2020 that offers services to help enrich the lives of hospitality workers, from mentorship and scholarship programs to harm reduction training, non-alcoholic beverage consulting and even run clubs.

One of its initiatives is the Low/No Tour, a traveling pop-up series that educates bartenders on non-alcoholic products, how they’re made, and how they work in recipes. Education also gets put into practice in each city when the pop-up opens to the public and serves original no- and low-ABV cocktails. Proceeds from the events support other nonprofits in the space.

Started in 2023, inspiration for the No/Low Tour came from Jump and her partners’ desire to create more inclusive spaces within the hospitality sector – and not just for customers. The tour annually travels to about a half-dozen U.S. cities and coincides with other industry events, like Tales of Cocktail and Portland Cocktail Week, offering professionals an alternative to boozy bacchanalia.

“There are people in our industry who do not drink or do not want to drink as much, and we’re not creating opportunities for them to thrive when doing these big events,” Jump said.

Plus, the more bartenders become knowledgeable about non-alcoholic spirits and RTDs, the more options customers will have when they belly up. One that’s trending as of late is the multi-course tasting menu paired non-alcoholic beverages instead of wine.

In May, Jump collaborated with Denver restaurant Koko Ni on a seven-course dinner in which each dish featured a pairing from one of three different NA brands. For example, the restaurant served a flatiron steak and mushroom entree with a cocktail blending Three Spirit Nightcap NA elixir, marigold, chicory and beet. The asparagus appetizer came alongside a libation made with sencha tea, yuzu and Mahala, a botanical NA spirit.

Hansel Morales, Koko Ni’s beverage manager, and Jarmel Doss, beverage director for its parent company FAM Hospitality, developed the recipes for the non-alcoholic pairings. Much like a wine pairing, they sought to create profiles that both complemented and contrasted the food. They also wanted to hit flavors and textures that represented the ingenuity of alcoholic cocktails.

“We also had this intention that non-alcoholic (drinks) are not just sodas and juices. People want something that is lower sugar content, that feels more sophisticated and more elegant,” Morales said.

Koko Ni often partners with local breweries and distilleries on dinner pairings, and Morales hopes to do more NA ones soon, too. The demand is clearly there. Most stats point to Gen Z, which drinks less than its predecessors, but Jump said the majority of people who indulge in NA offerings also still consume alcoholic beverages — as much as 78%, she said citing proprietary data collected for the NA brand Ritual.

“If you’re a tasting restaurant and you’re offering pairings, but not non-alcoholic pairings, you’re just leaving money on the table,” Jump said.

While fine dining restaurants and upscale bars are currently leading the way, she hopes to see non-alcoholic drinks become menu mainstays because it makes good business sense. With an ever-growing inventory of products to choose from, including ready-to-drink cocktails, it’s never been easier to integrate into a bar program.

“Fifteen years ago, you couldn’t go to every bar and ask for a Last Word,” she said about the gin-based cocktail that has become popular in recent years. “You could argue 10 years from now, you go in anywhere and ask for a non-alcoholic Last Word.”

Mike’s Knockout Gummies, launched Aug. 20, are THC-infused edibles shaped like little boxing gloves. They’re the first gummies the boxer has been able to sell here even if he’s had others available throughout the U.S.

In 2022, Tyson released his first line of edibles, Mike Bites, featuring gummies shaped like ears with a missing piece of cartilage at the top – a nod to Tyson’s infamous 1997 fight against Evander Holyfield. Clever, right? Well, not according to state law.

In 2017, Colorado banned the production and sale of THC-infused edibles shaped like people, animals and fruit to deter children from mistaking them for other kid-friendly snacks like gummy bears.

Mike’s Knockout Gummies, from the company Tyson 2.0, are made with full-spectrum rosin and join Tyson’s roster of cannabis flower and prerolls that have been available for sale at dispensaries throughout the state since 2021. Consumers can currently find them at Jars Dispensaries, Cookies on Broadway, and Police and Thieves, among other pot shops.

“Whether it be through ears or gloves, I’m always looking for new ways to connect with my fans, and I think these gummies will pack a real punch in Colorado,” Tyson said in a statement.

To celebrate the launch — and the upcoming bout between Tyson and YouTuber Jake Paul — the company is hosting giveaways at sevenpointdistributors.com.

While the bulk of formal studies focus on the effects of ingesting large doses, the wellness industry has popularized a concept called microdosing, which involves taking small amounts of drugs like psilocybin or LSD as a supplement. This idea is to enhance physical and mental well-being without inducing a full psychedelic experience or trip.

Most psychedelic drugs are still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, however, so even though microdosing has inched its way into the mainstream lexicon, it simultaneously remains part of an underground culture. A Colorado company is working to create a microdosing drug for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but until that happens doctors cannot prescribe microdoses to patients.

And there’s another catch: To be approved as a medicine, microdosing needs to be proven to work. Right now, scientists don’t agree on if it does.

Microdosing hasn’t been studied extensively, but the various methods used to do so often produce varying results. Much of the available data comes from observational studies in which users share anecdotal information about their experiences. Reports are usually overwhelmingly positive with people citing benefits from improvements in mood, focus and athletic performance to relief from chronic pain and anxiety.

Studies in placebo-controlled settings, however, tell a different story. In these cases, researchers often find minimal differences between people who get an active drug versus a placebo, suggesting participant bias is at play. Simply put, when people expect to see positive results from microdosing, they perceive them that way.

This paradox has sparked debate in psychedelic circles and caused friction between the traditional methods of investigating new drugs and burgeoning enthusiasm for psychedelics’ potential medical applications.

We spoke to researchers who’ve conducted both types of studies to understand the nuances of investigating psychedelic drugs and how their various methods may shape the future of the sector.

Microdosing in the natural world

Many people credit researcher Jim Fadiman with popularizing the microdosing concept in his 2011 book, “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide.” Fadiman began studying psychedelics in the 1960s, primarily focusing on the effects of ingesting large doses. He became interested in microdosing after hearing that Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, the first person to synthesize LSD, had done it.

In 2010, a curious Fadiman launched an experiment that he bills as the first formal research into modern microdosing. He worked with a colleague to create blotters, each with 10 micrograms of acid, and mailed them to 100 willing participants nationwide, asking them to write back about their experiences.

“I got reports like a little outline, like two lines a day, and also got people who wrote well over 2,000 words a day,” Fadiman said. “I got a lot of indication that said there’s something here. There is some real effect and people notice it.”

Fadiman, who lives in Northern California, stopped mailing out microdoses, but he kept collecting testimonies. To date, he’s received about 5,000 personal accounts from people in at least 50 countries. The vast majority report positive effects in using small doses of psychedelics to manage conditions like depression, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, to treat chronic pain, and improve cognitive function.

Based on his trove of anecdotes, Fadiman likens microdosing to a tune-up for the whole system.

“Medications are very symptom-specific. If you have a headache, a backache, a stomachache, a tremble, those all (need) different medications,” he said. “But if you take a vitamin, the assumption is it helps your system. Microdosing is much more akin to a vitamin than to a medication.”

Given few standards exist around the practice, another ongoing observational study launched in 2019 seeks to understand how and why people currently microdose. It’s called microdose.me and to date, there are more than 9,000 participants worldwide.

According to principal investigator Zach Walsh, who is also a professor at the University of British Columbia and a clinical psychologist, the results offer real-world insight into microdosing and distinguish trends among those who do it.

The most popular reasons for microdosing are to enhance mindfulness (82.9%), to improve mood (76.1%), to enhance creativity (74.1%), to enhance learning (58.1%) and to decrease anxiety (57.4%).

Walsh said enough people signed up who do not actively microdose that he was able to compare the two cohorts. Using self-reported data like the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and other measurements, his team found that individuals who microdosed psilocybin showed greater improvements in mood and mental health after one month compared to those who didn’t.

“When we followed people for a month, there were some modest decreases in measures of mental distress,” Walsh said. “Because it wasn’t placebo-controlled and it wasn’t blind, we can’t tease apart whether or not it was just the act of microdosing and being active with your health that made the difference, or whether it was specific to microdosing. I don’t think it has to be either or.”

Controlled studies

What scientists know about the neurological effects of microdosing has primarily come from studies involving high doses. Research done at Johns Hopkins University and other institutions suggests psychedelics promote neuroplasticity and allow otherwise segregated portions of the brain to communicate. That’s why some scientists see promise in their ability to treat major depressive disorder, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety, among other ailments.

These studies are typically done in double-blind, placebo-controlled formats — the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of pharmaceutical drugs. However, psychedelics present unique challenges since participants often break the blind, meaning they successfully guess whether or not they received an active drug or placebo. That’s especially true in studies using large doses – participants either trip or they don’t.

Harriet De Wit, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, said it’s easier to maintain the blind in microdosing studies since users take a fraction of the dose needed to cause effects like hallucinations. However, it’s also challenging because the exact amount, known as a threshold dose, varies by the individual, she said.

De Wit, who has studied the effects of drugs for 40 years, heard the anecdotes heralding microdosing’s benefits and sought to understand how it affects people’s mood, cognitive performance and responses to emotional tasks. So she conducted a study in which 56 adults took repeated doses of either a placebo, 13 micrograms of LSD or 26 micrograms of LSD for several weeks. (The university has a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct research.)

“When people microdose in the natural world they have strong expectancies of what it’s going to do for them and that it’s going to have beneficial effects, and we don’t know how much the expectancies are influencing their responses to the drug. Our laboratory is set up to control those expectancies,” she said.

Many in the highest dose group reported feeling stimulated, energetic, amphetamine-like effects, De Wit said. However, microdosing did not improve their mood or cognitive performance, leading researchers to conclude it is safe, but has negligible effects in healthy volunteers. Subsequently, De Wit decided to investigate microdosing in individuals with depression symptoms and found the drug produced more marked improvements in mood.

“That’s kind of a novel finding and opens the door to maybe there is something to the microdosing. That is, some people who have symptoms to begin with might benefit from the drug, even if healthy volunteers don’t so much,” she said.

One of the most talked about studies, published in 2021, similarly found statistically insignificant differences between groups that took microdoses and placebos. Researcher Balázs Szigeti, then at Imperial College London, relied on citizen science by creating a unique self-blinding methodology that reduced the cost and approvals normally required to study psychedelics.

Participants created their own microdoses and placebo pills at home using non-transparent capsules that they either filled with their own psychedelic substance or left empty. After randomly selecting certain capsules to consume during the study’s four-week period, the 191 participants ended up in one of three groups – those who took only placebos, those who took only microdoses, and those who took half and half. QR codes helped Szigeti and his team track dosing data and survey results.

All groups reported improvements in subjective factors like well-being and life satisfaction, but comparatively, the differences were marginal. Szigeti attributed the benefits of microdosing to the placebo effect, causing swift backlash from the psychedelics community.

Szigeti, who now studies psychedelics at the University of California San Francisco, tells The Denver Post he was surprised by the study’s results and does not believe they are at odds with people’s lived experiences. (It’s also worth noting that most participants broke the blind.)

“When a scientist says that, ‘Hey microdosing is placebo,’ it doesn’t mean microdosing doesn’t have an effect. It means the effect of microdosing is not larger than the placebo effect, which itself is a large effect,” Szigeti said. “So there is no contradiction in potentially microdosing being placebo effect and people getting benefit from microdosing.”

De Wit isn’t convinced that microdosing is just hype, but the claimed benefits are so varied and widespread that it’s impossible to determine which effects are actually due to the drugs. She hopes to see continued research on the subject.

“If you’re interested in what the drug does then you have to give it while controlling those expectancies. If you’re interested in making people better clinically, maybe it doesn’t matter so much,” De Wit said.

After receiving some amburana samples, Hess’ team made an imperial saison aged on amburana wood spirals. It turned out well enough that River North decided to enter the beer into the 2023 Great American Beer Festival competition.

However, the Brewers Association, which organizes the event, derailed those plans.

Beers made with amburana aren’t eligible for the competition, the trade group said, because the wood is considered a banned ingredient per the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which sets formula- and label-approval guidelines for breweries.

Hess was surprised, especially considering recipes featuring amburana had won awards in the past. In 2018, for example, a Kentucky brewery won GABF gold for a blended stout that had, in part, been aged in amburana barrels. Closer to home, Denver Beer Co. won multiple GABF awards for amburana-aged beers in 2020.

Hess isn’t sure when the BA started blocking amburana beers from competition, but he knows why. “That wood has been banned because it contains trace amounts of coumarin,” Hess said. Coumarin is a flavor compound that naturally occurs in some plants, but studies have shown that high amounts of coumarin can be toxic to certain animals.

Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration, the country’s foremost authority on food safety, banned coumarin in consumable food products many decades ago. The TTB defers to the FDA when determining if a brewery’s product is legal to sell should it include novel ingredients. The BA follows those guidelines to determine if a beer is eligible for its competitions.

“In the case of amburana wood, TTB has told us that FDA unequivocally communicated to them that amburana wood used to age beer… is not GRAS (generally recognized as safe),” Marc Sorini, general counsel at the Brewers Association, told The Denver Post.

Here are five ingredients you might be surprised are banned as food additives, including in beer. It’s worth noting that Indigenous and Asian cultures historically used several of these plants for their medicinal properties.

Amburana wood

Amburana wood comes from trees native to South America. It contains coumarin, a compound shown to have toxic properties in pharmaceutical studies. The FDA banned coumarin in food in 1954. Drinkers may see amburana wood, commonly called Brazilian oak, used in spirits like whiskey and cachaça. It’s unclear why the wood is permitted for use in liquor but not beer. Still, that hasn’t stopped many brewers from trying it out.

Cannabis

Cannabis-infused beverages are widely available in the U.S. and many breweries make them, though not in Colorado. So how is it that cannabis ended up on this list? In short, a convoluted network of conflicting regulations at both the state and federal levels.

Cannabis plants contain many compounds called cannabinoids, some of which are psychoactive like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and others that aren’t, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Both hemp and marijuana are cannabis plants, distinguished only by their THC content. Marijuana, a federally scheduled drug, is high in THC; hemp is low in THC and was legalized nationwide in 2018.

As a rule of thumb, alcohol and THC are not allowed to commingle in a single beverage.

THC-infused beers exist in states where marijuana is legal, but they are regulated like edibles. In Colorado, those beers may not contain alcohol and they are prohibited from being served at bars. Non-alcoholic seltzers infused with CBD and THC from hemp have become popular in states where marijuana remains illegal. Because many seltzers do not meet the TTB’s definition of a malt beverage or fermented beverage, they often fall out of the agency’s purview, Sorini at the Brewers Association said.

Tonka beans

Like amburana wood, tonka beans contain coumarin. The FDA banned the use of coumarin, tonka beans and tonka extract in food in 1954 after “pharmacological investigations showing that it has toxic properties,” the federal register states. Tonka beans have a flavor profile — including notes of vanilla, clove and almonds — that chefs and brewers love, but to try a beer made with them, you’ll have to go to Canada or Europe.

Safrole (sassafras)

Despite its historic use as a root beer flavoring agent, oil derived from the root of the sassafras tree, called safrole, was banned in 1960. The FDA cited long-term pharmaceutical studies that found the compound caused liver cancer in its decision.

Sweet flag (calamus) plant

Sweet flag is a grass-like plant that grows near swamps and rivers. In 1968, the FDA banned it because studies found cancer-causing chemicals in some varieties. The agency banned the use of all calamus in food until studies prove specific varieties are not harmful.

Products made by Santa Ana, California-based Prophet Premium Blends, and sold under the Diamond Shruumz brand, have been linked to 113 illnesses and 42 hospitalizations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s latest outbreak report. The agency is also investigating two potentially related deaths.

On Thursday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said that two local illnesses were tied to products purchased in Mesa County and Denver. CDPHE is now investigating those cases with assistance from the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, Mesa County Public Health, and Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.

“People should not eat, sell, or serve any flavors of Diamond Shruumz chocolate bars, cones, or gummies, and should discard products that have been purchased,” the agency said.

In June, the FDA tested two Diamond Shruumz chocolate bars and found they contain a compound called 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also known as 4-acO-DMT. One of the products also contained several compounds found in the kava plant.

Local experts say synthetic psilocybin is pervasive in so-called mushroom edibles sold at head shops throughout Colorado and the U.S. Not only is that misleading — 4-acO-DMT does not occur naturally in psilocybin mushrooms — it’s also potentially dangerous when you consider the hazardous chemicals needed to create synthetics. In the underground, manufacturers aren’t subject to oversight that ensures their products are safe for human consumption.

in Colorado before being recalled, and other similar products are likely still available. “]The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still investigating the link between Diamond Shruumz products and the illnesses, which include symptoms such as seizures, abnormal heart rate and vomiting.

In the meantime, it’s worth knowing more about 4-acO-DMT and why some in the psychedelic space are wary of it.

What is 4-AcO-DMT?

Simply, 4-AcO-DMT is a synthetic tryptamine that doesn’t occur naturally in mushrooms. It’s known as synthetic psilocybin because it converts into psilocin when metabolized in the human body, according to Scott Thompson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Psilocin is the psychoactive compound that causes trippy effects like hallucinations.

Psilocybin, on the other hand, does occur naturally in mushrooms. It goes through the same conversion process when ingested and becomes psilocin. The difference is that synthetics are man-made in a lab using chemicals and solvents.

Why is 4-AcO-DMT showing up in psychedelic mushroom products?

The psychoactive effects caused by 4-AcO-DMT are similar to psilocybin because the two compounds are similar in structure, said Noah Novello, founder and lead scientist at Friday Ventures drug testing lab in Louisville. But most people won’t notice a difference, he added.

The process of extracting psilocybin from mushrooms is labor-intensive and produces a low yield. To manufacture edibles, it would be potentially more efficacious and cheaper to use something synthetic.

Once Novello learned about the synthetic tryptamine, he developed a method for testing it and found it widespread among edibles marketed as containing psilocybin.

The chances of finding 4-AcO-DMT in psychedelic mushroom edibles are “at least 50/50 if you’re buying stuff online,” he estimates. “If you’re buying something from a head shop or a convenience store that’s labeled mushrooms, well over 50%.”

Is 4-AcO-DMT dangerous?

4-AcO-DMT has not been studied extensively, so it’s unclear exactly what risks it carries when ingested. Experts say in theory it should be safe, but there are inherent dangers when buying unregulated products that contain it.

According to Colton Brook, lab manager at Altitude Consulting in Englewood, pure 4-AcO-DMT is likely non-toxic because it is very similar to natural psilocybin, which has a low risk of overdose and addiction.

In clinical trials, professional scientists in regulated labs conduct testing to ensure their formulations have been purged of the toxic chemicals and solvents used to make synthetics. But when 4-AcO-DMT is manufactured underground, there’s no guarantee that happens.

“Typically you’re going to have leftover impurities. That’s where it becomes the question of, well is 4-AcO-DMT, 100% pure, safe? That’s a different question than ingesting a chocolate bar that maybe contains it. Because how do you know it’s 100% pure 4-AcO that went into there? You really don’t,” Brook said.

Thompson at CU Anschutz agrees. “It’s still a mystery to me as to why it should kill somebody because I don’t think the 4-AcO-DMT should be toxic,” he said.

What can consumers do if they are concerned about 4-AcO-DMT in their products?

The FDA recommends anyone who has purchased Diamond Shruumz products dispose of them or return them to Prophet Premium Blends for a refund.

Locals can bring their products to Friday Ventures for testing to identify what’s in it, Novello said. His rule of thumb: “Do not believe what the packaging says.”

Novello also advises being skeptical of any lab results published by a mushroom brand, as they may not tell the whole truth.

Diamond Shruumz, for one, has a robust trove of lab results available to the public. The certificate of analysis (COA) for its dark chocolate bar shows the sample does not contain 12 various cannabinoids, including THC and CBD. The results do not include an analysis of tryptamines or synthetic drugs. A COA  for Diamond Shruumz’s birthday cake-flavor chocolate bar shows the lab did not detect “amanita analytes” or “mushrooms analytes,” suggesting it does not contain amanita or psilocybin mushrooms, Novello said.

Both the aforementioned products were tested by the FDA.

“The COA can only tell you what the lab is looking for. This lab is not looking for 4-AcO-DMT, or LSD, or rat poison,” Novello said.

But when was the last time you tried a turmeric sauce?

I don’t claim to be an inventive cook. Typically, I leave the creativity to my husband, who owns a restaurant. But when I came across this caramelized corn and asparagus pasta recipe from The New York Times two years ago, it sounded too good not to try. It’s since become one of my go-to dishes year-round, even if the ingredients are most abundant during the summer.

The turmeric “sauce” in this case is more of a seasoned coating for the noodles, which infuses an awesome balance of savoriness and spiciness to pair with the recipe’s seasonal vegetables. It will also add a pop of bright yellow coloring to your clothes if you’re not careful, so dress accordingly.

This recipe is sure to satisfy vegetarians, and it’s great with the addition of pan-seared shrimp as a protein. At the height of corn season, I’ll use Olathe sweet corn for a touch of homegrown flavor. And a hack for those spending the extra hours of daylight out and about instead of in the kitchen: Keep a bag of frozen corn on hand for another apt substitute.

Caramelized corn and asparagus pasta

Recipe originally published by NYT Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta, typically spaghetti or linguini
• 3 ears of corn, husked
• 16 medium stalks asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
• 3 scallions, trimmed and minced
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ⅓ white wine or vermouth
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 lemon (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on high heat. Meanwhile, prepare the corn by slicing the corn kernels off the cobs. Add cobs to the pot of water to add a touch of sweetness.

Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions. The cobs remain in the water with the pasta.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add corn kernels and sugar, season with salt and pepper, and cook while stirring occasionally until they begin to caramelize. (About 6 minutes.) Stir in the asparagus, scallions and half the turmeric (1 teaspoon). Cook while stirring frequently until just softened and the corn is caramelized. (About 2 to 3 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl.

Once the pasta is just short of al dente, reserve 1 ½ cups of pasta water, and then drain pasta and discard the corn cobs.

In your large skillet, add the butter, garlic and remaining turmeric and cook over medium heat until the butter melts and starts to foam. (About 3 minutes.) Whisk in white wine to deglaze and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Then whisk in 1 cup of pasta water.

Add the pasta into the large skillet and toss with tongs over medium heat until thoroughly coated and cooked to your desired texture (1 to 2 minutes). Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in half of the corn-asparagus mixture, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the pasta among the plates. Dollop with ricotta cheese and top with the remaining mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. If using lemon, sprinkle the pasta with lemon zest and serve with a lemon wedge.

Enjoy!