Safety considerations in the evolving legal landscape of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy
Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy May 14, 2022 Victor Mocanu, Lindsay Mackay, Devon Christie et al. 27 citations
International drug policy is changing alongside promising evidence for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) to treat mental health conditions. Canada has expanded therapeutic access, reversing an 8-year ban on medical exemptions through the Special Access Programme in January 2022 and granting the first exemptions for legal possession and personal use of psilocybin mushrooms in 2020, nearly 50 years after criminalization. This piece clarifies factors for safely expanding access to psychedelics. Streamlining safe, evidence-based compassionate use of PAP could offer timely treatment options while encouraging further research and outcome surveillance to refine best practices.