Quick links that talk about the legality of the industry
Italian officials verified 630,000 signatures collected in support of a measure to decriminalize cultivation of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.
If the measure is approved by the Constitutional Court, which will be announced on February 15, it will appear on a ballot this spring.
“Given today’s scientific understanding of psilocybin’s high potential therapeutic value and low risk of dependence, a change of its status as a Schedule I drug is long overdue,” according to Christopher Koddermann.
That’s why he co-founded The International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative (ITPRI) – an initiative that’s pushing for psilocybin to be rescheduled on a global scale.
ITPRI aims to reschedule psilocybin through the United Nations’ Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which was enacted over 50 years ago 😮 This would significantly reduce the regulatory barriers that impede psilocybin research and access to treatment.
So yes, rescheduling is long overdue, but better late than never!
Psilocybin Services Would Be Legalized In Washington State Under New Bill
Washington State legislators introduced a bill that would legalize supported psilocybin sessions for “nearly any purpose” – no medical diagnosis required.
The experiences would be administered by state-licensed facilitators at licensed service centers or, in some cases, remotely.
Until now, the only way for patients to access psychedelic therapy outside a clinical trial was to apply for a Section 56 exemption and wait months on end to (possibly) receive approval from Health Canada.
Despite six more patients receiving the exemption over the holidays, the system remains flawed.
Thankfully, this Wednesday, Health Canada made an amendment to this thing called the Special Access Program (SAP), which enables healthcare practitioners to request access to drugs that are not yet approved, but have shown promise in clinical trials.
The amendment allows practitioners to request access to psilocybin and MDMA for their patients with serious, life-threatening, or treatment-adverse conditions. And the best part: requests are typically processed in just 1 day! 🎉
While this does not guarantee access for patients, it certainly feels like a big step in the right direction.
To learn more about the amendment, check out TheraPsil’s free webinar on Jan. 19th.
Port Townsend became the second city in Washington to decriminalize psychedelics after a unanimous council vote!
Activists in Colorado submitted an initiative for statewide decriminalization of psychedelics, which will likely appear on the 2022 ballot.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) changed its guidelines to allow the use of “real-world data” collected from the healthcare system to aid in regulatory approval of new medicines. This will expedite clinical trials and get treatments to patients sooner!
In some un-inspirational news, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration rejected an application to reschedule MDMA and psilocybin for therapeutic research, noting that the drugs pose acute and long-term risks if used outside a clinical setting 🙄
New York assemblyman Pat Burke (D) filed a bill that would legalize psilocybin therapy and create a $2M grant program to ensure veterans and first responders can access the treatment.
If passed, therapists would be able to certify patients for psilocybin therapy after completing a two-hour training course through the Department of Health.
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Up until this week, the only people in Canada that could legally access psilocybin therapy were patients with terminal illnesses.
Things changed on Monday, when the non-profit organization TheraPsil helped three Canadians with mental health issues get Section 56 exemptions, granting them access to psilocybin therapy.
“This is a very clear indication that exemptions are now available for people who have anxiety, depression, addiction, and chronic pain,” says TheraPsil’s CEO. “It opens it up to everyone.”
