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home / 世界杯决赛2022

opinion: alberta needs to rethink its new regulations for psychedelics with proper consultation

canada’s first provincial framework for pap should be a best-in-class example based on the best available science and informed by patients and practitioners with relevant experiences and expertise.

by psychedelics coalition
published jan 10, 2023
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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the alberta legislature, in edmonton on wednesday dec. 14, 2022. david bloom / postmedia archive
psychedelics are certainly having a moment. if you watch netflix, listen to podcasts, or you’ve delved into the reams of peer-reviewed research on psychedelics, then you probably already know that clinical studies are validating what humans have understood for thousands of years: psychedelics are safe, and they can transform how we treat chronic pain and mental health. our coalition of patient groups, health-care providers, service providers, researchers and manufacturers of psychedelics feel compelled to bring into the open critical issues with the government of alberta’s forthcoming regulations for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
while we are encouraged by its initiative to create new regulations governing psychedelic-assisted therapies, we are deeply concerned with the impact these regulations will have on patient safety and access, and we are disappointed by the lack of genuine consultation to create these new laws, which will come into force just 100 days after they were first announced to the public and impacted stakeholders.
canada’s first provincial framework for pap should be a best-in-class example based on the best available science and informed by patients and practitioners with relevant experiences and expertise. instead, alberta’s example was built behind closed doors and is an obvious harbinger of deleterious patient access and safety issues. these regulations were approved unilaterally by former premier jason kenney’s cabinet in the final days of his leadership, unchecked by premier danielle smith’s transition into office, and unseen in the legislature by alberta’s ndp opposition.
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the new regulations restrict clinical oversight of psychedelic-assisted therapy treatments exclusively to psychiatrists. while we certainly agree that psychiatry can and should play a role in assessing patients for these novel treatments, other qualified health-care providers — including anesthesiologists, neurologists, family doctors and nurse practitioners with training in chronic pain and/or mental health — have relevant expertise and should also be permitted to prescribe and oversee these treatments in collaboration with psychologists and other licensed therapists.
furthermore, wait times of six to 18 months to see a psychiatrist in alberta may lead some patients to seek access to these promising treatments from illicit and/or unregulated sources. for patients impacted by treatment-resistant depression and/or ptsd, extensive treatment delays could lead to tragic outcomes. simply put, there is no evidence-based justification for specialty or subspecialty requirements for health-care providers within the regulations, and expanding these criteria to include adequately trained medical professionals would prioritize patient safety, reduce wait times, and be reflective of best medical practices, and would ensure a continuity of care for critically and chronically ill patients who are currently benefiting from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatments provided by cpsa-regulated physicians, medical professionals and clinics.
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as written, these regulations will also directly contradict the college of physicians & surgeons of alberta’s recently released guidelines for the iv administration of ketamine in community-based clinics, which allow ketamine delivered via im, intranasal and lozenges to be prescribed by any qualified health-care providers within medical offices and regular community clinics. this change will further restrict access and remove currently available treatment options for qualifying patients, despite no evidence of harms associated with current provincial practices.
in less than a week, alberta’s rushed, ill-informed and overly restrictive regulations become law. this will inevitably lead many patients to self-medicate using an unregulated drug supply, or access underground treatment options. in fact, this regulatory change will make it easier for many eligible patients across the province to access maid than psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
as premier smith recently stated, “you can make fast decisions, but they’re not necessarily the best decisions. it is better to take a little bit of a slower track to make sure that everybody has a chance to have their viewpoint heard.” given our coalition’s extensive expertise with psychedelic assisted-treatments and patient access issues, we welcome opportunities to work with the province on a transparent and inclusive regulatory development process that would result in well-considered, evidence-based regulations that effectively balance public safety with safe, legal access to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for patients in need.
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psychedelics canada, psychedelic association of canada, the ketamine assisted therapy association of canada, vanguard wellness, heroic hearts project canada, sabi mind, atma, bloom psychedelic therapy and research centre, wayfound, psygen industries, filament health, entheotech, absolem health corp, pharmala biotech, psychedelic development corp.

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