Terminal cancer patients will be the first to legally use magic mushrooms to treat their anxiety about death.
Since January, Health Canada has allowed doctors to prescribe psilocybin, the main ingredient of the magic champion, to end-of-life patients. People who meet the established criteria can now receive this drug if it is given in a clinical setting. The request for processing by the Special Access Program (SAP) must first be approved by the federal agency, a process that can take several months.
“SAP requests involving new products or new directives generally take longer to analyze, because checks must be made with the manufacturers regarding the quality of the product and their ability to offer it,” the agency said in a statement. email sent to the “Vancouver Sun”.
It is thanks to this change in the regulations that Thomas Hartle, suffering from colon cancer, will be able to obtain treatment with magic mushrooms. “I feel very lucky to have this permission. I know several people with cancer who have died waiting [d’une telle permission]“, he explained.
Having first discovered the treatment at home with magic mushrooms he grew, Mr Hartle is among the first five patients to receive psychedelic therapy from palliative care doctors.
“Magic mushrooms allow me to calm the worries in my head, allowing my body to use my energy to heal and process those fears in a supportive environment,” said Thomas Hartle, who says the effects can last up to at six months.
As of Friday, Health Canada has received 14 SAP requests for psilocybin. Of this number, six were authorized, four are still under investigation and four others were withdrawn by the attending physician before they could be analyzed.
Note that a request must be made for each treatment. Patients are therefore often forced to continue their treatment with products that they grow themselves.
“Patients don’t know what’s in the substances they buy. It’s not as safe as it should be,” said Spencer Hawksell, CEO of TheraPsil, a group that helps Canadians access psychedelic therapy.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com