B.C. doctors now able to access MDMA, magic mushrooms for the seriously ill

published on January 18, 2022 by Sarah Grochowski in Vancouver Sun

Seriously ill patients who have exhausted conventional treatments for their mental health now have a new, legal option — psychedelics.

The federal government restored doctors’ ability to request access to psilocybin and MDMA this month after eight years of excluding the non-market prescriptions through Health Canada’s Special Access Program.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” says Dr. Evan Wood, a clinician-scientist from the B.C. Centre for Substance Use and chief medical officer at Numinus Wellness, a Vancouver centre evaluating psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies.

Ottawa’s decision to reverse changes it made to the Food and Drug and Narcotic Control regulations in 2013 went into effect on Jan. 5. Doctors’ requests for the drugs are now being considered on a case-by-case basis…

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