Curious crowd turns out for ‘casual dosing’ experience

By Art Van Kraft for Ashland.news

A crowd gathered outside the psychedelic entrance of the Shrooms Cafe in downtown Ashland Friday night, Feb. 7. They were among the first visitors to climb the long flight of stairs that lead to a large open room filled with music and colored lights. It was opening night at Shrooms Cafe at 139 E. Main Street, next door to O’Ryans Irish Pub. 

Cafe owner Mike Kirkwood had been waiting for a month to finish the detail, including a bar, a stage and a series of small, cushioned rooms off the main floor. Kirkwood said the colored lighting is designed to give people a comfortable atmosphere after taking a micro dose of psilocybin. The average price for a low dose is $25.   

“We have micro doses that are for self-perception and at the very end of the spectrum are high or hero doses. We’re authorized to do both but we focus on the low doses. We offer the service where people can come in, take a low dose, get a little glow, come back get another in a few days,” Kirkwood said. 

“We want to be an example that casual dosing is an experience that is light, fun and social. We’ve been conditioned that it’s bad, or is a drug that’s manufactured; these mushrooms are natural and have been out there in our diet for a very long time. We’re trying to normalize them,” Kirkwood said. 

“It’s really weird how many people think there’s’ something wrong with mushrooms despite the evidence. We’ve had really great receptivity in Ashland,” he added. 

But Kirkwood said he’s also experienced some negative reactions, not least of which was having to relocate his business from Medford to Ashland last year. 

“Last year the Medford Planning Commission put some restrictions on our business, like not being able to dose in the evenings. That made it a real problem making that space work” he said. 

“This was the first business of its kind in Medford, so I think they were acting with what might be called an abundance of caution. So, when we found this location, we were ecstatic. We’ve been licensed by the city of Ashland, with approval from the Planning Commission and approval from the Oregon Health Authority,” Kirkwood said. 

Brian Bonneville was outside the cafe with a group of friends. He said he’s familiar with psilocybin and with the benefits it offers. 

“Mushroom and other psychedelic elements have been a huge portion of so many cultures as a form of medicine and of helping your neurology in a health way. This place is a step into a new world of understanding for our culture,” he said. 

“There are so many proven neurological benefits to it, especially in a safe place. The only thing dangerous about psychedelics is using them at the wrong dose or at the wrong place. It’s really exciting to see this operation move forward like this,” Bonneville added. 

Lindy Kehoe is a local artist, who, like many, said they were drawn to the new Main Steet storefront out of curiosity. She sat in one of the “experience” rooms with her husband, Ryan Finney, and friend Tony Crane, and listened to the band. 

“Ashland is in a renaissance of art, music and feeling, and places like this for this renaissance to flourish. I am very supportive because it’s all done in a positive way. It can bring great things to this town,” she said. 

Kehoe is a painter and illustrator who has lived in the Ashland area for 18 years.  She said her paintings articulate what she calls “magical, healing vibrations on canvas,” a theme not unsimilar to mushrooms. 

The protocols are the same in all licensed facilities. The facilitator sits with their client while they are on the dose of psilocybin mushrooms. Those times differ depending on the dosage they take, from micro to a large. The micro dose is usually groups that know each other. The sessions go from 15 minutes to an hour or two hours.  The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) puts all facilitators through a course where they are certified and licensed to handle any dosage level administered. 

OHA is concerned with people having safe experiences with mushrooms. Customers must fill out an extensive questionnaire that helps facilitators weed out people who are unable to participate. Certain medications like lithium would disqualify a person. The mushrooms are not sold out the door. 

“We’re an alternative venue for people who don’t drink but like to dance and have fun. That event worked out very well. We saw people from all walks of life interacting. When you have people who are vibing, it creates an extra healthy experience,” Kirkwood said. 

“We want to be an example that casual dosing is an experience that is light, fun and social. We’ve been conditioned that it’s bad, or is a drug that’s manufactured. These mushrooms are natural and have been out there in our diet for a very long time. We’re trying to normalize them. It’s really weird how many people think there’s’ something wrong with mushrooms. We’ve had really great receptivity in Ashland,” he added. 

A majority of Oregon voters in 2020 approved Measure 109, which directed the Oregon Health Authority to create a legal system for offering psilocybin. Unlike marijuana, customers can only buy and use psilocybin mushrooms under a state-licensed facilitator. 

When Oregon’s first psilocybin center opened in Eugene in June 2023, it was the first in the country to offer access to the drug in a licensed setting. The drug is still illegal by federal standards, categorized as a Schedule I substance, meaning that it has no accepted medical use.

Art Van Kraft is an artist living in Ashland and a former broadcast journalist and news director of a Los Angeles-area National Public Radio affiliate. Email him at artukraft@msn.com.