Canada has violated the rights of hundreds of patients awaiting access to psilocybin (magic mushroom)-assisted psychotherapy by rejecting requests from medical professionals to use the restricted drug for training purposes, a senior official said on Tuesday. counsel for professionals before the Federal Court.
Nicholas Pope has pointed out that there are not enough medical professionals licensed to provide psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy and that Health Canada’s decision means patients may have difficulty accessing therapists offering the treatment. .
Mr. Pope made submissions in an application for judicial review of Health Canada’s June 2022 decision that dismissed claims by 96 medical professionals to possess and consume psilocybin — the psychedelic compound produced by magic mushrooms — as part of training to obtain a license to prescribe the drug.
Healthcare workers — including doctors, psychologists, clinical counselors, social workers and nurses — had applied for an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Pope said the workers want the court to order Health Canada to withdraw its rejection of applications to use the drug.
“Thousands of patients across Canada who suffer from treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder and end-of-life distress have tried countless treatments and medications, but found no relief,” he said. he argues in court.
“With each passing day, the delay increases the risk of harm… Six of the patients on the waiting list testified that they had contemplated or attempted suicide. »
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy involves ingesting mind-altering substances, such as psilocybin, in a clinical setting within the context of more traditional psychotherapy. A trained and licensed clinical practitioner then provides therapy that guides patients as they experience the effects of psilocybin.
Mr. Pope cited in his arguments several peer-reviewed studies that found that such psychotherapy can safely and effectively treat patients with psychological and physical pain that is otherwise resistant to other treatments.
In 2020, Health Canada began granting exemptions under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to patients with end-of-life psychological distress, treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder.
In December 2020 and January 2021, Health Canada granted exemptions to 19 health care practitioners to use and possess psilocybin as part of a training program in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy offered by TheraPsil, a non-profit organization. nonprofit that provides training for health practitioners and works with patients to obtain psilocybin.
“Medical professionals reported that the training improved their ability to treat patients, and no adverse effects resulted from this training or the exemptions,” said court documents submitted by the medical professionals.
Not enough trained professionals for the demand
During Tuesday’s hearing, Pope said that since 2020 about 80 Canadians have taken psychedelics to treat their pain, with government permission.
Hundreds of other people seek daily information for relief from anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, opioid use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or other illnesses, he said. added.
“But there are not enough professionals in the country to provide the treatment,” Pope said.
“Two health care practitioners in Manitoba have applied for exemptions. If both of these exemptions were approved, patients who otherwise do not have qualified health practitioners within thousands of miles would be able to access psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. »
Medical professionals say the backlog of patients needing the service is so huge that Canadian doctors who are currently trained in the therapy don’t have the capacity to keep up with the demand.
Pope also said there are reports of untrained people offering psilocybin therapy “and people are suffering”.
The lawyer noted that Health Canada has urged medical professionals to participate in an existing clinical trial or create their own, but it’s not working for several reasons.
The first is that existing trials are expensive and impractical in terms of timing and location, Pope said. Some professionals are also unwilling to participate in existing trials because they focus on psilocybin research, a potential ethical issue for professionals whose goal is training.
Yassie Pirani, a Vancouver-based licensed clinical counselor involved in the case, said in a phone interview that it’s “absolutely essential” for experts who support patients during their psychotherapy to experience the psychedelics.
“It is believed that by directly experiencing this non-ordinary state of consciousness, therapists … will be better able to intervene and, more importantly, know when not to intervene,” she explained.
There are drugs that doctors are currently prescribing, for example, that can cause irreversible sexual dysfunction, but “psilocybin has a lot less risk and that’s known in research,” Ms.me Pirani, which helps treat anxiety and depression.