Alarmed by growing concerns and its implications, patients have urged the Canadian government to regulate magic mushrooms.
Though the psychoactive compound produced by the mushrooms, called psilocybin, is not legal in Canada, early clinical trials are reportedly underway to test its effectiveness in treating mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
It is imperative to note that listed under Schedule III of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the drug can only be obtained legally via an exemption from the federal minister, as part of a clinical trial or through a special access program that allows physicians to request it for patients suffering from serious or life-threatening conditions.
However, in some cities, including Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa, psilocybin can be easily found at a growing number of brick-and-mortar shops openly selling magic mushrooms and a web search for such products shows they are readily available for delivery to Canadian doorsteps.
It could be recalled that in 2020, a certain Thomas Hartle was among a handful of patients — many of whom were suffering from terminal illness — granted the exemption to use psilocybin by former health minister Patty Hajdu.
It must be clarified that the exemptions under Canada’s drug law did not allow the patients to buy or legally receive psilocybin, but it allowed their medical practitioners to use it for treatment without participating in a crime.
Harping on the effectiveness of the drug, Hartle said the psilocybin made him more comfortable with his end-of-life anxiety, but his exemption expired after a year, and he is still waiting on an answer about getting another one.
Hartle, who treated symptoms of his stage-four colon cancer with magic mushrooms, admitted that nothing is stopping him from buying the illegal mushrooms that are available online or at brick-and-mortar stores. However, he wants to discourage people from going “into these illegal markets and get treatment from potentially questionable sources and people”.
He added that “I would like this therapy to be medicalized so that it’s a treatment, (so) that your doctor can just give you a referral to a professional who is qualified and experienced and who has access to a safe supply.”
In a statement, Health Canada said early clinical trials examining psilocybin have shown “promising results,” but further research is still needed and “the best way for patients to access psilocybin is through participation in a clinical trial.”
Though Health Canada said dozens of ministerial exemptions were granted last year, more than a hundred requests are still outstanding, including Hartle’s.
Harping on the development, the CEO of TheraPsil, Spencer Hawkswell said “It is amazing that these patients can very easily go to storefronts and buy these mushrooms but are being barred from doing it safely with their doctor, from a regulated medical source”.
TheraPsil is a non-profit organization that offers training to health-care practitioners and is working with patients to obtain psilocybin and combat the government’s drug policy.
Remarkably, the group helped Hartle and others get their exemptions and is leading a legal challenge to fight the status of psilocybin in Federal Court.
Hawkswell said the federal government never justified why it departed from the original decision to grant the exemptions. Instead, it is currently requiring doctors to apply through a Special Access Program to use psilocybin.
The group CEO continued that, that has created challenges because doctors are unwilling to apply or participate without first being trained. And outside of a clinical trial, experience treating patients with psilocybin was previously only available through an exemption.
He added that this has the department and the current health minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, “putting the cart before the horse”.
Hawkswell said “You can almost think about it like the government granting patients access to chemotherapy but making medical school and the training around … chemotherapy illegal. All we would have is underground chemotherapy treatments. And that’s what’s happening today in Canada.”
He continued that demand for training on how to use psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has been “absolutely unbelievable,” but he doesn’t blame the majority of doctors who are reluctant.
“They’re putting an awful lot on the line in terms of their reputation and credibility for this treatment because, you know, as of now, Health Canada does not recognize psilocybin as a treatment for anything,” he said.
In the absence of federal regulation, some provinces are moving ahead with their own regulation regimes for psilocybin.
It could be recalled that in December, Quebec became the first province to announce it would provide health coverage for the costs of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
And this month, regulations for psychedelics, including psilocybin, MDMA and LSD, will come into force in Alberta that are intended to see the drugs administered by licensed practitioners.
However, there is no visible effort at the federal or provincial level to take action against the out-in-the-open illegal sale of magic mushrooms.
Speaking further, Hawkswell said the only way to upend a growing illegal market is to create a safe, regulated market. “We should not have unregulated psilocybin. That’s what we have right now. It’s being sold and consumed widely in Canada. We need to have regulations around this,” he said.
SUPPORT NIGERIAN CANADIAN NEWS
If you like our work and want to keep enjoying what we offer, kindly support us by donating to the Nigerian Canadian News through the button below
Share your thoughts in the comments section below
Do you want to share any news or information with us? If yes, contact the publisher at publisher@test1.nascitest.club
