Licensing
Is a self-regulatory framework to license and administer psychedelics a future possibility? By Ritika Dubey
C
Licensing
anada’s reputation as a progressive nation was punctuated in 2018 with the federal government’s decision to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. With a noticeable increase in the demand for hallucinogens, there is growing discussion around creating a regulatory framework to oversee psychedelics, far more powerful and psychoactive substances. Now, with the impact of COVID-19, an escalating national opioid overdose crisis, and a secondary epidemic of related mental-health issues, Health Canada’s proactive decision-making on access to controlled substances suggest recognition of a growing demand for remodelling of health care for mental health. With that will come the need to rethink our regulatory structures as well.
While it seems the existing regulatory bodies could accommodate psychedelics and controlled substances, there’s growing discussion for the creation of a separate regulatory body solely working with psychedelics. Setting the tone after allowing four palliative patients to access psilocybin, or magic mushroom-assisted therapy in August 2020, the Canadian federal health ministry has since granted at least thirty palliative patients and one non-palliative patient access to psychedelic-assisted therapy to help them deal with acute anxiety and depression. Exemptions were also extended to 19 health-care professionals in December 2020, letting them consume psilocybin during their psychedelic therapy training program.
84 theregistrar.ca
spring edition 2021
