In Canada, all researchers – even those funded by the federal government – have to gain special authorizations to work with psilocybin. Meanwhile, people like St. Laurent who want to use it legally to treat alcoholism or depression must similarly seek special access to the compound.
“It means it will be easier for someone with a severe mental health issue to obtain medical assistance in dying than it will be for them to receive psilocybin,” Gilchrist said. “You have this option, psilocybin, that could save people’s lives, so why shouldn’t it be available first? We call this medical assistance in living.”
As part of that new system, doctors have to apply on behalf of patients and demonstrate that they’ve exhausted all available treatment options.Article content The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted psilocybin “breakthrough status,” a designation that recognizes the drug’s therapeutic potential and speeds its path through testing and review. New research continues to highlight its promise.found that one 25 mg dose of psilocybin significantly reduced the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression within three weeks for those who received it in a double-blind, randomized trial.
“Honestly, I think there’s a lot more research we need to do, but I do think they should be able to prescribe it legally,” argues Williams. “If they’ve never had psychedelics before, it can be very scary, the experience, so this is why I think it’s so important to have a skilled person work with them.”