DENVER As the City and County of Denver prepares to launch its psychedelic therapy program in 2025, local officials are researching regulations for healing centers, where psychedelics will be administered.The state will begin accepting applications from those wanting to provide psychedelic therapy services on Dec. 31. The first healing centers where psychedelics will be administered are expected to open in June 2025.Voters approved the legalization of certain psychedelic mushrooms in Nov. 2022."What the City and County of Denver is doing is we're considering how and if we should have local regulations for these new natural medicine businesses that will be coming to Colorado," said Eric Escudero, spokesperson for Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses. Escudero said it's a long process to come up with local regulations for psilocybin therapy. "We want to make sure to have the ability to hold businesses accountable if they violate laws in an administrative way and not necessarily have to send out police to arrest them," he explained. Denver plans to follow state law, which requires such businesses to be at least 1,000 feet from schools and daycares. Other cities like Colorado Springs have passed much stricter, one-mile restrictions. Denver is also considering a ban on all billboard advertising. "Advertising sort of creates a perception of lack of harm," said Alton Dillard, spokesperson for One Chance To Grow Up, a youth advocacy group. Youth advocates say a billboard ban is vital to protecting young people. "We're just trying to make sure that people are putting the protection of youth up there where they're also putting their profit," said Dillard. Escudero said city officials are researching regulations and have taken notes from Oregon, where the first psychedelic center opened in 2023. He said licensing in Oregon became too costly for businesses to open and possibly cost people from getting mental health treatment. "So what we've done is the recommendation is... keep those licensing fees as low as possible so hopefully these businesses have a chance of success," Escudero said. Denver anticipates the first centers to open in late spring or early summer.