The European Commission has officially registered the PsychedeliCare initiative, which aims to establish a legal framework across the European Union (E.U.) for psychedelic-assisted treatments to address mental health disorders. This European Citizens’ Initiative seeks to promote the safe, regulated, and ethical use of psychedelics in therapy, drawing attention to the urgent need for innovative mental health treatments.
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The PsychedeliCare team includes a broad coalition of professionals—scientists, doctors, therapists, researchers, activists, and educators—who are pushing for consensus on standards of care in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Their proposal includes setting guidelines for therapist training, ethical practices, and safety measures while calling for E.U.-funded research to further investigate the efficacy of psychedelic treatments.
One of the key motivations behind this initiative is the substantial economic burden of mental health disorders within the E.U., which the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates costs the region $669.4 billion annually. With half of psychiatric patients not responding to existing treatments and the approval of only one psychiatric drug in the last three years, PsychedeliCare emphasizes the potential of psychedelics as a transformative approach to mental health care.
The initiative builds on global momentum, citing the FDA's breakthrough therapy designations for MDMA and psilocybin, as well as recent developments in Canada and Australia, where psychedelic-assisted therapies for anxiety and depression are advancing.
PsychedeliCare now needs to collect 1 million signatures across at least seven E.U. countries to move forward. If successful, the European Commission will be obligated to respond and consider legislative action, potentially positioning Europe as a leader in psychedelic therapy innovation.
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