FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Federal Court of Appeal Rules in Favour of TheraPsil and 96 Healthcare Professionals in Landmark Psilocybin Training Case
Court finds Health Minister’s reversal “unreasonable,” reigniting national focus on psychedelic therapy
OTTAWA, ON – June 20, 2025 – In a decisive victory for healthcare professionals and psychedelic therapy access, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of 96 healthcare professionals and TheraPsil, overturning the Minister’s refusal to grant Section 56(1) exemptions for psilocybin-assisted therapy training. The Court found the denials “unreasonable,” citing the Minister’s unexplained reversal on a critical public health issue.
In 2020, then-Health Minister Patty Hajdu granted the first exemptions for experiential psilocybin training based on expert consensus that it was essential. In 2022, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennett reversed this position, claiming that clinical trials were preferable, but provided no justification. The Court ruled that such a significant shift requires explanation, and ordered the Minister to reconsider the applications.
This is the second court win for TheraPsil and its legal team in just over a year.
“This is a victory for transparency, common sense, and for the Canadians who still can’t access psychedelic care,” said TheraPsil Communications Director, John Gilchrist. “We’ve seen patients suffer because their doctors and therapists weren’t allowed to complete their trainine. The Court has confirmed what we’ve said all along — and Minister Michel has the power to fix it now.”
Nicholas Pope, lawyer for the applicants, added:
“Patients and doctors have now gone to court twice over denied access to psilocybin, and they have won both times. I expect this trend will continue until the government creates a better system, one that lets doctors – not bureaucrats or politicians – decide who gets access to medical psilocybin.”
Minister’s Policy Reversal Was Unreasonable
The Court found that the 2022 denials were based on a position that contradicted Health Canada’s own earlier reasoning — without offering any explanation. It noted that the exemption requests were “nearly identical” to those previously approved and stated that “a significant and abrupt change in position requires justification.” The absence of such justification, the Court ruled, made the decisions unreasonable.
Experiential Training Is Essential
Experiential training, where healthcare professionals safely experience psilocybin under supervision, is widely recognized as necessary for safe and effective therapy. Health Canada’s own experts have confirmed this, yet in Canada there is currently no legal way for professionals to complete this training. Some programs send practitioners abroad; others, including TheraPsil, have used harm reduction approaches to support care while operating in legal uncertainty.
Next Step: Minister Michel Must Act
TheraPsil is calling on the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, to show leadership by advocating for these exemptions without delay and to provide legal clarity for other professionals pursuing the same training.
Media Contact:
John Gilchrist
Director of Communications, TheraPsil
john@therapsil.ca | 647-505-3964
About TheraPsil
TheraPsil is a Canadian nonprofit advocating for legal, compassionate access to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for patients in medical need. Since 2020, TheraPsil has supported legal access for patients and trained over 800 healthcare professionals.