An association of Canadian veterans wants governments to remove barriers around mental health treatments that employ psychedelic substances so those suffering from mental illness due to high-stress jobs can access the help they require.
PsyCan, a non-profit trade association of psychedelic medicine and therapy companies and military veterans, called on the government to lift the red tape on psychedelic drug therapy.
The group argued that current rules prevent veterans and others in high-mental health risk occupations from accessing psychedelic-assisted therapy. To counter the barriers, PsyCan advocates an increase in research for Canada to pay the costs and model access to psychedelic therapy on the medical marijuana program.
At a conference, Liam Bedard, the executive director of PsyCan, lauded the “numerous landmark scientific studies” which demonstrate the safety and efficacy of psychedelic treatment. Drugs such as MDMA and Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, have increasingly been employed to treat mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse disorders.
As per a StatsCanada census, in 2021, Canada is home to 461,240 CAF veterans. According to Veterans Affairs Canada, more than a third, 38.7%, of CAF veterans reported mental health problems. Among those 16.4% reported severe mental health conditions and another 10% reported being diagnosed with PTSD or other health issues that accompany it.
PsyCan noted that Health Canada’s Special Access Program has allowed applications for the medical use of psilocybin and MDMA since 2022. However, VAC will not reimburse veterans for any psychedelic-assisted therapy. The SAP is designed to allow Canadians needing experimental drugs or treatments that are otherwise unavailable in the Canadian market.
PsyCan and the veterans present called on VAC to reimburse the total cost of psychotherapy and drugs obtained by Health Canada’s SAP.
Nicholas Kadysh the chair of the board of directors for PsyCan told True North that the average cost for a day of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is $400 – $500 for the drugs but up to $4000 for the therapy itself.
Kadysh said that only about 400 patients have been approved by Health Canada for the Special Access Program in the last two years. He said that 200 patients a year is a “drop in the bucket” compared to the mental health challenges facing Canadians.
“We’re calling for a psychedelics access program modelled on Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations because there should be more access than just SAP,” he said. “And as always, we’re calling for more research funding through the Canadian Institute of Health Research.”
US Veteran’s Affairs approved $20 million in spending on research into MDMA and Psilocybin for mental health treatments, and the US Department of Defense spent an additional $10 million to explore psychedelic therapies. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has only spent a “grand total” of $3 million following PsyCan’s calls to action in 2022.
CAF veteran Kelsi Sheren, an author and speaker at the conference, credits psychedelic therapy for positively changing and saving her life. She was diagnosed with PTSD, major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression and an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury following her military service in Afghanistan.
Sheren told True North in an interview that it’s easier for Canadians to access assisted suicide than it is to receive potentially life-affirming psychedelic therapy, an issue she has advocated for.
Sheren had to travel abroad to access the treatment and says she had to pay out of pocket to try various psychedelic treatments rather than give in to her suicidal thoughts incurred by her military service.
She said Health Canada told her she had to try electroshock therapy before she would be allowed to access psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, which she argues has resulted in positive outcomes.
“Electroshock therapy can send somebody into an epileptic fit, and it shuts down parts of their brain and kills brain cells, whereas psilocybin does the exact opposite,” Sheren said.
Both Sheren and Kadysh said that although treatment may differ for patients, psychedelic therapy could be something that is only done every six months rather than the daily and lifelong treatment plan associated with drugs such as Prozac or SSRIs, which could have severe physical and mental health effects.
“The scientific community is more or less convinced, but of course, these are controlled substances, so people are naturally very wary at the end of the day,” Kadysh said. “From our perspective, there is a pathway: people are getting approved, and if they’re getting approved, it needs to be paid for.”
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