Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound found in mushrooms. It is legal to take in psilocybin Canada for medical purposes, but it’s still illegal to sell the drug without a doctor’s prescription. Luckily, a special access program allows physicians to request manufactured psilocybin for their patients. While the drug is still illegal, it has shown promise in the treatment of cancer patients and people with serious mental illnesses.
This treatment is currently only available in clinics and research facilities. The research is essential for better understanding of psilocybin’s effects and how it can be used therapeutically. Increasing availability of authorized drugs will help Canadians access more therapeutic options, and clinical trials will ensure that the drug is safe and effective. In addition, high-quality research will inform practitioners’ drug decisions. There are many different ways to administer psilocybin.
The first Canadian doctor to obtain special access was Dr. Valorie Masuda of Vancouver Island. She receive a special access program from Health Canada to give psilocybin to her patients. Since then, several other doctors have receive approval to administer psilocybin.
The special access program requires physician oversight and a treatment team. Currently, however, the process of obtaining psilocybin in Canada is lengthy and complicate.
Clinical trials for psilocybin are similar to those for other psychedelic drugs. In addition, the quality of the information submit for the quality part of the CTA must be sufficiently robust for Health Canada to evaluate the drug’s characteristics.
Further information on the quality requirements is available in the Guidance Document – Quality (Chemistry and Manufacturing) of Clinical Trial Applications for Pharmaceuticals
Purchasing psilocybin mushrooms from a license dispensary online can be a daunting experience. Because there are so many varieties available for growing in Canada, it’s crucial to know what you’re purchasing. For example, Shrooms247 offers nine different kinds of mushroom.
- These mushrooms have different chemical compositions and effects. While they may look similar, the quality of individual shrooms can differ.
- The federal Ministry of Health has ban the cultivation of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Canada, but has grant certain permits to various religious organizations in the country. However, it is still illegal to sell psilocybin as is the case in other parts of the world.
But the federal government has given some psilocybin cultivation and research permits. Intake of the substance for ceremonial purposes is not permit. However, Ottawa has already given the go-ahead to five religious organizations to cultivate ayahuasca in Canada.
Optimi Health, which receive dealer-licence approval in February, is one of the companies that are now harvesting psilocybin and other functional mushrooms. Other companies in B.C. have also enter the psilocybin industry. Optimi is about to cut the ribbon on a new building in Princeton, British Columbia. The building has approximately 10,000 square feet of space and is already half fill with Optimi’s staff.
