The European lobby says experienced gonorrhea users should be counseled about using psychedelics

Similar to the United States, Europe is currently considering how to most effectively integrate psychedelic therapy into its healthcare landscape. A lobby group representing developers and industry professionals is advocating for experienced practitioners to be included as integral members of a “multidisciplinary advisory board.” They would serve as a guide and provide health care regulators and physicians with essential insights into best practices as the field expands and changes. This effort comes from the European Psychedelic Access Research and European Alliance (PAREA), Politico reports in a briefing document to be submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Essentially it says that those who actually have experience with psychedelics should have influence. In both the legal cannabis and psychedelics spaces, there is often a feeling that those who have an actual relationship with the substance, rather than just a desire to profit from it, do better business.

Europe has yet to legalize all psychedelic treatments. But with Australia and parts of the United States already offering psychedelic therapies, many lawmakers in Europe want to be prepared to hit the ground running. Such an advisory board (with people who have experience with these substances) will facilitate the implementation of psychedelic treatment.

In July, Australia became the first country in the world to allow the use of psilocybin and MDMA with a prescription to treat mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Both have been legalized for therapeutic purposes.

In 2019, Denver, Colorado became the first US city to decriminalize psilocybin. Cities like Oakland, Santa Cruz and Washington DC have followed suit. In 2020, Oregon both decriminalized it and legalized supervised therapeutic use, and Colorado passed a similar law in 2022.

Psilocybin remains illegal under federal law.

Ketamine, which is technically a (legal) dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties, is approved in the US by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression under the name “esketamine,” the S-enantiomer of ketamine, because Johnson & Johnson sells it that way could patent and sell under the brand name Spravato. Doctors often prescribe an off-label nasal spray containing actual ketamine, which you can have made at a pharmacy.

A study published late last month by the American Medical Association found increasing evidence that psilocybin, the mind-altering ingredient in magic mushrooms, is a potentially effective treatment for people suffering from depression. Psilocybin is also being tested as a treatment for people with anorexia.

MDMA is currently being studied for its ability to treat PTSD and other mental illnesses with successful results.

Such substances would be examined by the proposed multidisciplinary advisory body. Ahead of an upcoming EMA workshop on psychedelic treatments, PAREA called on the regulator to provide central leadership on the practical and clinical aspects of these therapies, including their delivery methods.

Unlike traditional pills like SSRI antidepressants, psychedelics require extensive pre- and post-care, as well as support during the experience itself. PAREA aims to ensure that this care is uniformly standardized, relying on the consensus of a diverse group of stakeholders.

In psychedelic spaces, this before and after care is called integration, or the belief that you need more than the drug itself. Integration is usually pre- and post-trip therapy that helps incorporate what you’ve learned into to “integrate” everyday life. One may also need more than one session or return for booster shots, as with ketamine IV therapy and other psychedelic therapies. Even in psychedelic recreational spaces, many people use a “trip sitter” or at least a trustworthy person to look after them.

An EU advisory body “would benefit from the collective knowledge of various stakeholders, including the EMA, [the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction]national competent authorities, professional associations, healthcare professionals and managers, psychedelic organizations, patient organizations, drug developers and the broader community,” the briefing said.

PAREA told POLITICO that these professional organizations could include the Open Foundation and Beckley Academy in the Netherlands, as well as the Mind Foundation in Germany. These groups train therapists in psychedelics using the latest research from institutions such as Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins University. Some programs involve experiential learning (getting high) with substances like psilocybin or ketamine. The Beckley group teaches people to “move through unusual states to better serve their clients” and also runs psilocybin retreats.

“The importance of ensuring that the treatment model used is evidence-based and in the best interests of patients cannot be overemphasized,” the lobby group said in its briefing.

PAREA is also committed to ensuring that the EMA ensures consistent delivery strategies across Europe. “Central coordination would provide an efficient mechanism to advance the field, rather than individual EU countries initiating their own working groups,” it said.

Nowadays, psychedelic knowledge and industry are being taken seriously in academia to pave the way for future generations. Last month, the Center for the Science of Psychedelics at the University of California, Berkeley, launched a free online course called “Psychedelics and the Mind.” The new class is another expansion (and gain) for the center introduced three years ago. The course will be available free of charge.