Advocates for the medical use of psilocybin mushrooms in Canada have launched a petition calling on the federal government to take action. Interest in psilocybin-assisted therapy continues to grow to combat end-of-life anxiety, depression, ADD, and PTSD, among many other conditions.
Petition e-4334 LAUNCHED ON MARCH 16 – “Online Petition to the Government of Canada”, which, by law, must be presented in the House of Commons if it meets certain conditionsAnd small dose reports. Petitions must be attested by the Petitioner, for example, in order to be presented to the Council. It must also be signed by at least 500 residents of Canada, and must be authorized by a Member of Parliament.
Advocates want to give the green light to therapeutic psilocybin in any form, and have listed several specific conditions that could be improved.
“We, the undersigned, compassionate Canadians, call upon the Government of Canada to allow Canadians timely and unrestricted access to therapeutic psilocybin in any form as needed to alleviate their suffering through Section 56 exemptions,” the petition read.
The petition offers three reasons why psilocybin-assisted treatment should be legalized, including the mushroom’s low potential for harm:
- There is strong medical evidence that access to psychedelic-assisted treatment can effectively treat existential suffering in death, depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions, improving quality of life;
- The psilocybin required for psilocybin-assisted therapy is currently only available in clinical trials and with special individual permission from Health Canada although the potential for harm is low; And
- It is contradictory and unethical to allow physicians to provide their patients with a medical maid while preventing the same physicians from treating their end-of-life distress with psilocybin.
In order to sign the petition, the signatories must be a Canadian citizen or resident of Canada.
Psilocybin Assisted Therapy in Canada
Meanwhile, a particular case draws attention to the issue of psilocybin-assisted treatment.
It was Thomas Hartl based in Saskatoon First person in Canada to undergo legal drug-assisted treatment To treat end-of-life anxiety. However, a year later, his permission from Health Canada expired in October 2021 and He had to reapply.
Thomas waited more than 500 days for approval, but Minister Caroline Bennett refused to excuse him from continuing to use psilocybin for medical purposes. Health Canada denied Hartl permission to continue psilocybin-assisted treatment, which attracted much attention and criticism from the psychedelic community. Hartl believes that Health Canada and health ministers are waiting for his death.
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is the only thing that has helped him deal with his end-of-life anxiety and he says he needs safe and legal access to it.
Stories like Hartl’s are fueling efforts to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy in Canada.
Research on the benefits of psilocybin continues to emerge. north america First experience of psilocybin at home It has been approved in Canada. A drug company called Apex Labs It announced on November 1, 2022 that it would take place First multi-dose clinical trial of psilocybin in North America. Apex Labs is a patient-led pharmaceutical company that specializes in psilocybin therapies for military veterans.
Apex Labs will launch a trial that explores the effectiveness of APEX-52 (psilocybin) for veterans suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Apex Labs received a “Letter of No Objection” from Health Canada on October 24, 2022.
Dispensaries providing psilocybin have sprung up in Canada. Two men were arrested, and the mushrooms were subsequently seized A raid on a psilocybin mushroom dispensary west of Toronto last November.
The push to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy in Canada, and to explore its benefits, continues its march.
