Prescription psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms, will become available to treat prescription-resistant depression. Photo: Pixabay
The Drug Foundation wants more medical access to some of the most commonly used illicit drugs.
It comes after the government announced prescription psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms, will become available to treat prescription-resistant depression.
The Drug Foundation's annual report found psychedelic drug use has more than doubled in New Zealand, with 3.1 percent of adults reported taking psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin and ketamine in 2023 and 2024, compared to 1.3 percent in 2017 and 2018.
It said cannabis, MDMA, and psychedelics rank down the lower end of the potential harm spectrum, and have well-documented medical uses.
The Drug Foundation's executive director Sarah Helm said some people are self-medicating with such drugs, and are being criminalised by not being allowed to access them legally.
"Many of our most popular illicit substances have well-documented medicinal uses and are being actively studied for their potential to treat a range of health conditions, so it's likely at least some of the use in this report is self-medication," Helm said.
"We think it's time to enable more medical access to the likes of psychedelics and MDMA and stop prosecuting people who use them."
In Australia, MDMA, known as ecstasy in tablet form, is being used to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While earlier this year, a clinical study using mushrooms containing psilocybin to treat methamphetamine addiction completed its first phase of trials.
"Criminalising anyone doesn't really help, whether the substance use is problematic or therapeutic," Helm told Morning Report. " Certainly, they [psychedelics] have been stigmatised and that's prevented access."
NZ Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm. Photo: Supplied/ NZ Drug Foundation
The release of these numbers coincides with Associate Health Minister David Seymour's announcement that psilocybin would be legally available in New Zealand outside of trials for the first time.
It brings New Zealand in line with Australia, which has been using psilocybin to treat depression since 2023.
Seymour said it would initially only be available from one specific psychiatrist, but he hoped more would apply.
The psychiatrist, Ōtautahi -based Dr Cameron Lacey, who was also behind the first clinical trials of psilocybin, said about two thirds of people who participated in clinical trials saw substantial improvements in their depression.
"It's truly providing remarkable results and it's really exciting to see a treatment that is providing real benefit for people who typically, at that point in their treatment journey, had a really long road and low improvement from standard treatments," Dr Lacey told Morning Report.
Dr Cameron Lacey. Photo: Supplied
The therapy involves months of psychotherapy and one or two eight-hour psilocybin sessions or 'doses' accompanied by clinical professionals. Most of the studies have involved one or two doses integrated with a course of psychotherapy. For some, just one treatment can be sufficient.
"The most important thing that we need to work on next is making sure this treatment is available to all who need it," Dr Lacy said.
Helm said the announcement that the magic mushroom drug psilocybin will be available for some patients is good news, but better access is needed.
"We do need to see a broader range of clinicians making it available, otherwise people do turn to self-administration. It's happens in the cannabis field, as well. It is about balancing," Helm said.
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