Ottawa- A non-profit group that advocates access to therapy using psychidelic drugs, won a legal battle in a one-year long battle with Health Canada-a organization believes that it is far away.
“There is a clear social turn, here is one, where the public, of course, the physician and certainly some parts of the government are awakening the reality that psychidelix works,” said John Gilchrist, director of communication for Therapsil.
Therapsil exempted exemption under the Act of controlled drugs and substances in 2020, which allowed 19 health care workers to undergo experienced training, including taking mushrooms containing cellosybin, also known as magic mushrooms.
In 2022, Therapsil applied for exemption for 93 more health care workers as it worked to expand the access to psilocybin-aided psychiatry. Health Canada denied the application.
The case made its way to the Federal Court of appeal with a late decline, which in June ruled that the Health Minister failed to justify the second round of exemption. The court ordered the government to take a new decision.
A panel of three judges wrote that “a change in policy between 2020 and 2022 and appreciation of the minister’s appreciation of relevant factors is important, if not suddenly, and call for some clarification.”
Gilchrist said that the group is ready to fight in court if necessary.
He said, “People are chlams to use psychide and many Canadians are only in coat-unknown underground,” he said, stating that with dozens of online retailers, many cities, in many cities, have brick-and-mortar stores selling magic mushrooms in many cities.
“So this means that the patients will go underground, try to try to support doctors to psychidelix out of the scope of (special access program of Health Canada). Or they will simply do it themselves, which we do not really, really, do not want to. And of course health canada doesn’t even want to.”
Health Canada has approved more than 300 discounts in recent years so that people have to undergo psilocybin -assized therapy. This form of therapy is being studied for use in life care in Canada and to treat some mental health conditions, including treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorders.
Therapsil believes that it is necessary to experience the effects of the drug to ensure that their health care provider can guide people through experience.
A spokesperson of Health Minister Marjori Mitchell did not answer questions whether the minister has made a new determination in the case or if the government is planning to appeal.
A Health Canadian spokesperson said in an email statement that the decision to give exemption is “based on sufficient evidence to support the requested use requested, including the information available for the time (special access program), as well as evidence of how it will benefit the patient on the basis of their clinical history.”
Gilchrist said that the ongoing legal battle contains similarities for the globalization of medical cannabis.
“First patients came, then doctors came, and then these are courts and then finally the government just has to do the cave for it,” he said.
One of the first countries to legalize medical canbis in 2001 was Canada. Health Canada began exempting exemption under the controlled drugs and matter act in 1999.
The industry was tightly regulated, with the ban on what kind of products can be used and which can develop them. Patients who wanted to use medical cannabis pushed the courts to expand the access.
A decision of the Supreme Court found that it was unconstitutional to allow only patients to use dried cannabis. A federal court case of 2016 hit the rules that limit access to licensed producers, and created a new structure, allowing people to produce their cannabis.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government made cannabis legal for recreational use in the fall of 2018.
Advocate Eugene Oskapela, who taught drug policy at Ottawa University, said that in the last 15 years, there has been a change in the government’s policy towards drugs like PSILOCYBIN.
He appreciated the role that researchers – including the multi -discourse association for psychidelic studies in the US – had played in creating that change.
“I think what we are seeing now is a growing desire to see other substances, and I deliberately use the word, being illegal for decades as illegal and dangerous and harmful for decades,” he said.
The Oskapela was part of the coalition that first applied for medical access to Canbis in 1997 and said that there was a type of precursor for the discussion now with psychidelix.
“Social goals should look at potential benefits. How do we maximize the potential benefits of access to these substances, reducing potential losses?” He said.
Therapsil says that it has a growing waiting list-for potential patients, who are expecting psilocybin-aided medical and health care providers expecting to receive training. Gilchrist said the court case “is more than a lawsuit for us.”
“This is the case, is Canada psychidelic therapy ready to support a safe, legal and compassionate passage, which is scientifically and morally supported?” He said.
This report of Canadian Press was first published on 8 July 2025.
Sara Richie, Canadian Press