The progressive activists at the Canadian Psychedelics Association (CPA) have recently launched a new initiative that is aimed at improving drug policy and expanding access to psilocybin-assisted therapy, particularly for palliative patients. This is following a Nanos research survey that showed over 80% of Canadians support the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy for people suffering from end-of-life illness and 78% approving of a government that legalized psilocybin-assisted therapy to improve the quality of life for palliative and end-of-life- patients. The historic clinical trials coming out of Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London, and NYU, all demonstrating psilocybin’s incredible efficacy at dramatically reducing, if not outright eliminating, end-of-life anxiety in palliative patients. We had the pleasure of connecting with Mr. Kyddthe lead lobbyist on MORA, for this article and it turns out he had quite a bit of interesting insight to share with us.
More About MORA: The Memorandum Of Regulatory Approval
The MORA is a document providing a framework to regulate psilocybin-assisted therapy, based on the Cannabis Act, Cannabis Regulations, Narcotic Control Regulations, Controlled Drugs, and Substances Act, Cannabis Exemption (to the Food and Drug Act), and the Food and Drug Regulations. The goal of the CPA with this initiative is to request Health Canada to work with the psychedelic and healthcare industries to review as well as negotiate the current regulatory framework for potentially expanding access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for palliative care patients until the end of the year 2021.
With Canadian Parliament scheduled to debate Bill C-7 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in October 2020 and knowing the Bill would likely pass by spring 2021 and trigger an automatic five-year parliamentary review on the state of palliative care in Canada, the CPA began its advocacy campaign demonstrating that MAID was the perfect opportunity to communicate and potentially regulate the benefits of psilocybin therapy.
Between November 2020 and July 2021, members of the CPA were paired up with Members of Parliament from all parties to advocate for legally controlled access to psilocybin-assisted therapy.
They also met with the appointed members of the MAID Parliamentary Review Committee and introduced them to some of the top palliative and psychedelic medicine experts in the world and with patient advocates like Thomas Hartle, Canada’s first palliative patient to be granted an exemption to receive psilocybin-assisted therapy.
Moved by his account, Thomas was asked by Conservative MPs Kerri-Lynne D. Findlay and Rob Moore to share his experience before the Committee this October. Canada’s top psychedelic historian, Dr. Erika Dyck, says Hartle’s testimony would be “a frontier-building opportunity” that would “bring clarity and compassion to the need for psychedelic therapy.”
Michael, who is the lead advocate on MORA, along with the other activists there, such as Cory Firth, CPA’s Executive Director, Ronan Levy of Field Trip Health, Erika Dyck of The University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Pamela Kryskow of the CPA, is fighting the good fight and making remarkable progress along the way as well. Mr. Kydd stated that “Our Memorandum of Regulatory Approval (MORA) provides an exhaustive regulatory overview that could eventually serve as Canada’s first psilocybin therapy framework for medically and legally controlled access. With a federal election in full gear, the CPA has timed the MORA to coincide with the election of Canada’s next government and is confident that the proposed MORA amendments will kickstart a collaborative effort with Health Canada.”
The CPA is Projecting Bipartisan Political Support for MORA
Much like in the United States, psychedelic medicine is also projected to win bipartisan political support in Canada too. While the push for a “recreational use” market, combined with our extremely limited understanding of the endocannabinoid system (the receptor system cannabis and its constituents act upon in the brain and body) may have limited the amount of novel and effective cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical plays out there, the same cannot be said for the classic psychedelic compounds. Since the modern psychedelic medicine movement is purely aimed at the clinical and therapeutic uses of these compounds, not their applications for recreational use (or for “psychospiritual growth”, the term I prefer over “recreational use” when it comes to psychedelics). Finally, the large amount of clinical trial data revolving around the use of psychedelics to treat PTSD in combat veterans is another significant advantage activists are exploiting to win support across both sides of the political spectrum.
In a quote for this blog, Mr. Kydd had this to say about the political support regarding MORA, “Based on our meetings there is support from all political parties (50+ meetings)—both in the house, senate and with senior government officials. The Canadian Psychedelic Association, health care professionals, researchers, academics, and industry have a responsibility to build education, provide training, provide harm reduction and remove the stigmatization of psychedelics.”
New Poll Shows Overwhelming Number of Canadians Support Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
A new poll conducted by Nanos for the CPA in July of 2021 showed that a strong majority of Canadians would support or somewhat support a government that legalized psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to improve the quality of life for palliative patients. Approximately 82% of Canadians agree or somewhat agree they are open to Canadians with a terminal illness to be allowed to use mushroom-based psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a part of their treatment. With public support for psychedelic medicine at an all-time high across Canada, the CPA is now focusing its efforts on introducing evidence-informed regulations to officials at Health Canada with palliative patients being the first target demographic they aim to assist.
A Precedent Already Exists for Reclassifying Psychedelic Drugs in Canada
In a quote provided to us for this article, Mr. Kydd stated that “A precedent already exists for reclassification of Schedule 3 drugs in Canada. Previous regulations allowing medical access to cannabis offer a regulatory model to expand access to psychedelic therapies, and that’s what our goal has been with MORA.” Furthermore, Kydd noted that “with timely action by Health Canada, Canadians could have legal access to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy by the time the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and the upcoming wave of mental illness becomes apparent.” Indeed, the global coronavirus pandemic has certainly exposed serious cracks and weaknesses in the way much of the world approaches mental healthcare. The CPA is utilizing many of the same effective strategies to tackle outdated, prohibition-era drug policies that cannabis activists used in the early days of their movement.
End of Life Distress & Dying a Dignified Death
The existential stress and anxiety that palliative patients experience is a type of suffering so truly unique that few can genuinely relate to it without having experienced it themselves. In a powerful letter to the MAID special joint committee, Thomas Hartle, the first terminally ill Canadian to be granted a section 56 exemption to legally use psilocybin to treat his end-of-life distress, describes just how difficult being a palliative patient can be and how much psilocybin helped him through the anxiety and depression that comes with it.
To quote Mr. Kydd, “Purely medical. Here’s what we know: End-of-life distress (EOLD) is identified as a primary reason why individuals pursue medical assistance in dying. Psychological suffering and existential distress are common among cancer patients approaching the end of life as well as others experiencing terminal illness. Patients report feelings of hopelessness, loss of autonomy, poor relationships, and a general lack of purpose. End-of-life distress is associated with poor treatment and psychological outcomes, including decreased medication adherence, diminished quality of life, an increased desire for hastened death, and higher rates of suicide.”
It is for these reasons Hartle and other supporters of psychedelics for palliative patients believe treatment with psilocybin can be so transformationally effective at mitigating their uniquely difficult to treat depression. Hartle makes the case for “dying a dignified death” and how psilocybin helped facilitate that.
Closing Thoughts on CPA’s New Initiative
The psychedelic movement is rapidly gaining momentum with every passing day. Much of the progress must be credited to the courageous patients with a terminal illness who were granted exemptions to use psilocybin, such as Hartle, and shared their powerful stories. Thanks to organizations like the CPA, the once difficult road ahead for patients like Hartle will hopefully be much brighter.