BBC: Boris Johnson to consider calls to legalise magic mushroom drug psilocybin for research

The BBC reports……..Boris Johnson has said he will examine the latest advice on the legalisation of psilocybin – a psychedelic drug found in magic mushrooms.

CRISPIN BLUNT’S QUESTION AT. 20:10

Tory MP Crispin Blunt urged the PM to review the law to allow more research into the drug’s therapeutic qualities.

Mr Blunt said it had “exciting potential” for the treatment of mental health conditions such as depression, trauma and addiction.

Mr Johnson said he would get back to Mr Blunt “as soon as possible”.

Psilocybin is currently included in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, along with drugs like ecstasy and LSD. This means it cannot be lawfully possessed or prescribed and a Home Office licence is needed for use in research.

Campaigners, including Mr Blunt, want it to be moved to Schedule 2 with restrictions to prevent inappropriate prescribing as to facilitate medical and scientific research.

It would then potentially be in the same category as medical cannabis, which was legalised in 2018.

Mr Blunt said this would allow more clinical trials and research into its potential benefits in the treatment of mental health conditions.

The MP told BBC News the prime minister had privately given him an assurance in May this year that he was committed to rescheduling psilocybin for clinical research.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Blunt called on the PM to deliver on this, arguing that it would boost the UK’s biosciences industry.

Mr Johnson told him: “I can say that we will consider the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recent advice on reducing barriers to research with controlled drugs such as the one he describes, and we will be getting back to him as soon as possible.”

“There is no record anywhere that a substance that has come out of ‘schedule two’ and gone into the criminal supply chain,” he told BBC News.

Initial clinical research shows that psilocybin, in conjunction with talking therapies, can help people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Source:  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-58980382

Primary Sponsor

 


Karma Koala Podcast

Top Marijuana Blog