Psilocybin is a notorious hallucinogen found in “magic mushrooms”—a federally controlled substance that the U.S. deems to have “no currently accepted medical use” and “a high potential for abuse.”
But not everyone agrees with that assessment: New Zealand on Wednesday became the latest country to approve the use of the substance for therapeutic purposes.
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David Seymour, New Zealand’s Associate Minister for Health, told reporters that the new policy, which allows a single approved psychiatrist to prescribe psilocybin to patients with treatment-resistant depression, represents a “real breakthrough.”
Seymour said that the psychiatrist, identified as Cameron Lacey, a professor at the University of Otago, “has previously prescribed psilocybin in clinical trials and will operate under strict reporting and record-keeping requirements.” Seymour added that he is hoping more psychiatrists will apply for clearance to prescribe the drug to patients, though he clarified that the drug remains “unapproved medicine.”
At the same time as the psilocybin policy change was announced, New Zealand announced plans to loosen restrictions on melatonin, which is used to treat insomnia and is sold over the counter in many other places. As Seymour promised to expand access to treatments like melatonin and psilocybin, no specific date was set for when they will be available across the country.
Where is the use of psilocybin for medicinal purposes legal?
New Zealand is not alone in permitting the medicinal use of the drug.
Australia, in July 2023, authorized specific psychiatrists to prescribe it for the treatment of certain mental health conditions.
In Switzerland, using LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin in medicine has been legal since 2014, for both research and treatment of mental health conditions.
And while the substance is generally illegal in Canada, regulated medical use is allowed under strict conditions.
Even some states in the U.S. have allowed some degree of use.
Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin’s therapeutic use in 2020, though some cities have banned the drug. Still, in the state, access to the drug remains restricted: it may only be administered in a licensed psilocybin service center, and an administration session can cost up to $2,000, according to the Associated Press.
Colorado also legalized the regulated use of psilocybin for medical use in a ballot measure in 2022, with the first licenses for dispensing it issued earlier this year. And in April, New Mexico legalized psilocybin’s use in approved settings to treat certain medical conditions.
Laws on the regulated medical use of psilocybin are also making their way through state legislatures like Minnesota and Massachusetts.
Said Seymour in announcing New Zealand’s rationale for changing its tune on the drug: “If a doctor believes psilocybin can help, they should have the tools to try.”