Washington state doctor blamed for 18 opioid deaths opens new magic mushroom clinic in Oregon

A doctor whose medical license in Washington state was suspended after he was linked to 18 opioid deaths has opened a new magic mushroom clinic in Oregon. 

Dr Frank 'Danger' Li ran a chain of pain clinics in Washington state until 2016 when regulators suspended his license, alleging his clinics had improperly prescribed drugs which contributed to the deaths of 18 people. 

Li also had to pay out $2.85million to settle a case brought by the Department of Justice which accused him of billing Medicare and Medicaid for thousands of unnecessary urine tests. 

Despite his fraught history, in January Oregon Health Authority granted Li permission to open a psilocybin - better known as magic mushrooms - service center. 

Li has long denied the allegations, claiming in an interview with KATU 2 that his work in Washington had saved lives, saying: 'We saw 33,000 patients and we got 22,000 patients off of opioids.'

Dr Frank 'Danger' Li ran a chain of pain clinics in Washington state until 2016 when his license was suspended

The Washington state Medical Commission accused Li of failing to properly monitor prescription use of powerful opiates. Pictured: The doctor's new clinic 

After an investigation he was banned from prescribing acute pain treatments in the state. His new clinic (pictured) focusing on supplying magic mushrooms 

Despite his history, in January Oregon Health Authority granted Li permission to open a psilocybin clinic. Pictured: Stock image of magic mushrooms 

In 2016, the Washington state Medical Commission accused Li of failing to properly monitor prescription use of powerful opiates.

This failure, they said, possibly contributed to at least 18 current and recent patients dying since 2010. 

They did not name the victims, but records seen by Wilamette Week list a 35-year-old woman who died from 'acute methadone intoxication' three days after one of Li's centers prescribed her methadone, and a 58-year-old man who died in a car crash with oxycodone in his system, 19 days after the center had filled his prescription. 

The regulator also said that the prescriptions were so large that they may have been re-sold on the streets.

They banned Li from prescribing acute pain treatments and put in place numerous other long-term restrictions on his medical practice. 

Li denies the allegations, telling KATU: 'We saw 33,000 patients and we got 22,000 patients off of opioids, and we were able to reduce the death rate by more than 10-fold.'

He added: 'Do I feel bad about any death? Absolutely. Do I take responsibility? I look at ways which that can improve care. Do I look back and in 20/20 hindsight, what else could have been done? Yeah, absolutely.'

In 2020, when Li reached his settlement on the Medicaid investigation, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Gorman wrote: 'Prescribing massive quantities of addictive opioids fed a crisis that continues to grip our community.

'This billing for unnecessary urine tests is a way Dr. Li and his clinics profited on the pain of others.

'Our investigation helped stop Dr. Li and the providers he supervised from continuing to prescribe dangerous and excessive amounts of opioids.'

Despite this, Oregon allowed Li to open Immersive Therapies on Northwest Quimby Street in Portland in January. 

The clinic advertises itself online as offering 'World class psilocybin services in the heart of Portland,' claiming, 'Mushrooms can transform stuck patterns and move you more deeply into connection, authenticity, and wonder.' 

After an initial phone consultation, patients are matched with a 'facilitator' who stays with them throughout their 'journey'. Patients take psilocybin and sit or lie in a soothing themed room, complete with projections of aquariums and purple lights.

Li opened Immersive Therapies on Northwest Quimby Street in Portland in January

The clinic advertises itself online as offering 'World class psilocybin services in the heart of Portland' 

Patients take psilocybin and sit or lie in a soothing themed room, complete with projections of aquariums and purple lights

Li, who grew up in Atlanta and studied in California, told Wilamette Week that he became depressed and 'drank heavily' after the scandal, saying: 'I didn’t have the psychological fortitude that I thought I had.'

Things changed in 2020, he said, when he tried ketamine and told the paper: 'I melded into a greater consciousness where there was simultaneous joy and suffering. Having a glimpse of how it all balanced out gave me some peace.' 

Ketamine in turn led him to psilocybin and he was inspired to set up his clinic. 

DailyMail.com contacted Li for comment. 

The Oregon Health Association told KATU that they had received a complaint - it is not clear who from - about Li during the approval for his new clinic process, but their investigation concluded he could still be licensed. 

They said: 'In this case, OPS received a complaint during the application process and opened an investigation to review facts and determine whether the applicant could be licensed. The application process was halted during the investigation. 

'Upon completion of the investigation, OPS determined the facts did not support a denial of the license, the applicant passed the background check, and the applicant met all requirements under Oregon law to be licensed.'