PROJECT CROYDON
We know it sounds like something dreamed up by Del Boy... but desperate times call for desperate measures, Rodney.
Chris, this is all about you and your legacy
All that needs to happen for the Home Office to reschedule psilocybin is for the Home Office Drug Minister Chris Philp to sign a statutory instrument already developed by MPs in partnership with the Centre for Evidence Based Drug Policy.
Chris Philp is the elected MP for Croydon South.
We believe Chris Philp sees that the world is waking up to the potential for psilocybin to heal untreatable conditions - but he simply isn't acting with enough urgency.
The Need for Urgency
Every year the UK loses hundreds of people to suicide as well as conditions like lung cancer and liver cirrhosis that are driven by the addictions to tobacco and alcohol that psilocybin has promisingly shown in clinical trials that it can treat. Many millions more people are suffering in silence with treatment-resistant depression. 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.
Now is the time to act and follow the science.
Now, not later.
CROYDON SOUTH
Home to 82,000 constituents - who will soon choose their next MP
Together the citizens of South Croydon have the power to make psilocybin access rights an election issue for Chris personally.
Our campaign seeks to funnel the national support for PAR into one small constituency that has the power to make the Home Office listen to the evidence.
Powered by volunteer leafleting and a door-drop campaign, we are aiming at making the constituents of Croydon South the best informed people in the country on the potential for psilocybin. Each of them can request a personal "surgery" meeting with Chris and we hope to encourage this with our campaign.
Most of all we want him to see that this is an urgent issue for his constituents, just as it is for all of us across the UK.
If you are a constituent of Croydon South we would encourage you to use your power and email or write to Chris Philp directly.
To make it easier you can click this link to automatically draft an email in your mail or copy and paste the words to the right.
Alternatively, please do write to Chris and tell him in your own words what psilocybin access rights means to you.
To: chris.philp.mp@parliament.uk
CC: psilocybinaccessrights@gmail.com
Subject line: [YOUR POSTCODE] - Reschedule psilocybin to allow lifesaving UK mental health research
Dear Mr Philp,
I hope this letter finds you well. As a constituent deeply concerned about the pressures faced by our local mental health services in Croydon and the fact that many residents here do not currently have access to the treatment they need, I write to you regarding the urgent need to address the completely un-evidenced schedule 1 status of psilocybin and allow qualified psychiatrists the right to prescribe it.
It is imperative that we take meaningful steps towards facilitating access to potentially life-changing treatments. I am pleased to see the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has made recommendations to facilitate research. I hope you will now act immediately to accept and implement their recommendations. I worry these recommendations—so important to UK research and mental health—may get forgotten with an election potentially around the corner. I believe the current focus on facilitating research does not go far enough. While research is vital, it is equally important to prioritise patient access through rescheduling.
Psilocybin's status as a Schedule 1 drug under the Misuse of Drugs R
egulations 2001 is not only outdated – it actively obstructs essential UK medical and scientific progress. The evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, particularly in treating treatment-resistant depression, is substantial. Yet, continuing to ignore the clear case for rescheduling—which the Home Office has already acknowledged is unjustified in response to numerous official written questions — increasingly places us behind other countries in the development of innovative mental health treatments.
The actions taken by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to allow prescription and the United States Food and Drugs Administration to grant Breakthrough Therapy status for psilocybin underscore its significant medical value. The UK's failure to update antiquated policies prevents licensed psychiatrists from prescribing this potentially life-saving treatment to those in need.
I am aware of polling data showing that 4 in 5 members of the public support a change in the law that would allow patient access to psilocybin (Public Attitudes to Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy. Drug Science and Psilonautica. 2021), and that the Royal College of Psychiatrists, as well as mental health charities CALM and SANE, have also contacted you about this matter.
The ACMD’s recommendations to reduce barriers to researching Schedule 1 drugs are commendable steps. However, they do not address the fundamental issue of psilocybin's unjustified scheduling. We cannot continue to let down the millions of individuals suffering from mental health conditions who could benefit from access to psilocybin-assisted therapy.
The fact is that there has never been a review of evidence since it was first controlled over 50 years ago. As a constituent, I hope you will be the Minister to finally put this right.
Therefore, I urge you to take immediate action: give access to patients via psychiatrists’ prescription, and base psilocybin's scheduling on evidence. This can be achieved by commissioning an urgent review of the evidence by the ACMD with rescheduling to facilitate patient access being the aim. It is time for the UK to lead the way in providing innovative, safe, and effective mental health treatments to its citizens.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to your response and as my local MP I hope you will address this issue without further delay.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your address and contact Information - this is required to prove that you are a constituent]