Saskatchewan MP's bill aims to ease psilocybin therapy access

A private member's bill introduced by a Saskatchewan MP aims to remove barriers to psilocybin-assisted therapy, a treatment gaining recognition for its potential to address anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The bill, proposed by Saskatoon University MP Corey Tocher, is named in honor of Thomas Hartle, a Saskatoon resident who underwent the therapy while battling cancer. Tocher highlighted Hartle's struggle to maintain legal access to his treatment, which required him to travel abroad after his supply was cut off. "He had to travel to the Caribbean three times a year for his counselling. And that's when he reached out to me," Tocher stated in parliament, emphasizing the need for easier access. Currently, doctors can apply for patients through Health Canada's Special Access Program, but advocates argue this process is too slow, especially for those with critical health conditions. The proposed legislation would empower doctors to prescribe the therapy directly, significantly speeding up access. Shannon Hurly, a registered social worker and co-owner of Evolve Counselling and Wellness Saskatoon, shared her observations of the therapy's impact. "Really the biggest thing is seeing themselves outside their illness. This oneness and interconnectedness with themselves and people around them," Hurley said, noting that patients report reduced anxiety and fewer suicidal thoughts. She explained that psilocybin can help rewire brain pathways, allowing for reorganization of thought patterns. Josh Veinotte, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran diagnosed with PTSD, also testified to the therapy's benefits. After conventional treatments proved ineffective, Veinotte found peace through psilocybin-assisted therapy. "For the first time in 15 years, I felt peace. It didn't erase my trauma; it changed my relationship with it," he shared.

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We face an epidemic of mental health and addictions crisis in our streets, and there is a solution that could include psilocybin counselling.