Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound found in over 200 species of fungi across the world.
Early research shows that psilocybin has numerous potential treatment applications in mental and physical health, including but not limited to depression, chronic pain, anorexia nervosa, tobacco and other addictions, alcoholism, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cluster headaches and end-of-life distress.
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It is consistently found to be one of the safest controlled drugs, is physiologically non-toxic, anti-addictive and, when used in a controlled environment by trained professionals, risks can be reduced to an absolute minimum.
The Opportunity
A breakthrough for depression
1.2 million British residents are estimated to be living with treatment-resistant depression.
Depression is the greatest contributing factor to suicide and the leading cause of disability.
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Antidepressant use has doubled in England the last 10 years.
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Research has shown that two doses of psilocybin with psychotherapy is as effective in treating depression as taking an anti-depressant (escitalopram) daily for six months.
A breakthrough for addiction
£36 billion is spent by the nation every year on treatment relating to drug and alcohol abuse.
It is estimated that drugs cost UK society £10.7 billion a year in policing, healthcare, and crime.
Research is showing that a single dose of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy could be effective in treating addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and stimulants.
A breakthrough for our NHS
1 in every 10 pounds of the NHS budget is spent on mental illness, which in total costs the UK economy £100 billion per annum ~ 4.1% of GDP.
More than 50% of ICU staff are suffering from either suicidal thoughts and/or alcohol dependence following the trauma of covid and are at risk of leaving the NHS.
Our front line workers, emergency services and veterans need access to treatments that work.
The issue
Psilocybin was first controlled in 1971 without a shred of evidence and over 50 years later the UK government has never reviewed the evidence of its harm and utility.
Psilocybin is designated a Schedule 1 substance implying that it has "no medical value".
This significantly hinders research and the pace at which the medicine can be made accessible to those who need it.
We are calling on the UK government to review the evidence, reschedule psilocybin and make it accessible for researchers and doctors to prescribe to patients who could benefit.
This could lead to the development of new therapies and could reduce the suffering of millions of people in the UK with limited and inadequate treatment options.
Psilocybin assisted therapy could be a revolution in mental health care, but scientists need to be able to study it and patients need access.
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It is now available for adults in Oregon (USA), and patients by prescription in Australia and Canada.
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In the UK, research is near-prohibitively expensive for even the largest, most reputable research institutions due to the need for Schedule 1 licenses from the government, and even though there is considerable evidence indicating that psilocybin could be a life-saving treatment, doctors are unable to prescribe it .
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While psilocybin remains in Schedule 1 its benefits remain inaccessible for suffering patients in the UK.
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A DISCLAIMER​
The PAR campaign is fighting for the rescheduling of psilocybin to make it medically accessible to those in need.
We are not currently fighting for its declassification.
Under UK law, psilocybin is a class A drug and buying, selling and distributing it could result in a criminal sentence.
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CLASSIFICATION
What happens when you possess an illegal drug
A) Up to 7 years in prison (14 years for distribution) or an unlimited fine (or both)
Cocaine, opium, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, morphine, ketamine, amphetamine
B) Up to 5 years in prison or an unlimited fine (or both)
Cannabis, amphetamines, ketamine
C) Up to 2 years in prison or an unlimited fine (or both)
Anabolic steroids, GHB some tranquilizers
SCHEDULING
Whether a licensed medical professional or a researcher can access a substance
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I. Drugs with little or no therapeutic value, are addictive and have high potential for abuse.
Opium, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD
II: Drugs with recognized therapeutic value but are addictive and have a high potential for abuse. Use is highly controlled. Scientific research is permitted with a license.
Morphine, ketamine, cocaine, amphetamine, cannabis
III. Less potential for abuse.
Barbituates, codeine, anabolic steroids
We cannot advocate for individuals breaking the law and we recognise there are risks associated with consuming psychedelic medicines that are exacerbated by unsafe environments. This is exactly why we are fighting for the rescheduling of psilocybin. Desperate people seeking help from this medicine should not be forced to do so outside the law in an unregulated way that could put them at additional risk. Neither should individuals with money be able to travel to jurisdictions where psilocybin assisted psychotherapy is legally available (such as Oregon or in the Netherlands), whilst the majority of the UK population do not have that privilege.​
If you feel that psilocybin may be able to help you with struggles you are facing, please do not give up hope and join our campaign to reschedule psilocybin in the UK.
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