Note from TheraPsil: On September 24th 2020, MP’s Elizabeth May, O.C (Saanich-Gulf Islands), Jenica Atwin (Fredericton), and Paul Manly (Nanimo-Ladysmith) wrote a letter to Minister Patty Hajdu on behalf of the Green caucus, urging her to grant the section 56 exemptions sought by medical professionals, for educational purposes. TheraPsil has received these MP’s blessings to share this letter, publicly.
We are so incredibly grateful for the network of many Canadian MP’s who have lent their support to TheraPsil in our mission to obtain compassionate access to psilocybin therapy for Canadians who are experiencing end-of-life distress, and for the healthcare professionals who are seeking access to psilocybin so that they may professionally train in this unique modality and be prepared to treat patients with psilocybin therapy.
Elizabeth, Jenica & Paul – we would like to extend a special thank you for allowing your support and advocacy to be made public. It is incredibly helpful and honorable. Today marks 102 days that Canadian healthcare professionals have been waiting on a reply from Patty Hajdu in regards to their section 56 exemptions, and we are looking forward to her swift response.
The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Health
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
September 24, 2020
Re: Access to Psilocybin for Health Care professionals via Section 56 exemption
In May and July of this year, my fellow Green MP Paul Manly (Nanaimo – Ladysmith) and I wrote to you regarding a constituent (NAME REMOVED FOR ANONYMITY) seeking an exemption to Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) to access psilocybin as an end-of-life palliative treatment. Thanks to your intervention, (NAME REMOVED) and others received this life-altering treatment when they needed it most.
Psilocybin has proven to be an effective palliative for those suffering from end-of-life anxiety due to a terminal diagnosis, and the word is spreading. TheraPsil, an organization based in Victoria which helps people, including our constituents, access therapeutic psilocybin, has been overwhelmed with an influx of requests for this treatment. Currently, an insufficient number of medical professionals know enough about psilocybin to be able to meet the requests to use it. TheraPsil feels at a loss in its efforts to help terminal patients who are desperate for relief.
As psilocybin becomes more widely accepted and used as a treatment, medical professionals need to be able to access it for their own use, so that they can better prescribe it and counsel a growing number of patients in taking it. The Green caucus asks that you grant medical professionals who seek it access to Psilocybin through the same section 56 exemption.
We also urge you to consider more permanent measures. We are not the first MPs to make this request. MP Marcus Powlowski also wrote to you on this same subject in July 2020, noting that in the future, psilocybin should be accessible as a medical treatment through more than just exemptions to the current law. The CDSA should be amended to allow access to psilocybin for therapeutic purposes to those facing the end of their lives, and to medical professionals for educational purposes.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth May, O.C.
Member of Parliament
Saanich-Gulf Islands
Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Jenica Atwin
Member of Parliament
Fredericton
Green Party of Canada
Paul Manly
Member of Parliament
Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Green Party of Canada
To see the actual letter, please see here: Letter from Green Party to Minister Patty Hajdu
