Germany Launching Psilocybin Therapy Program for Depressed Patients

Health officials with Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) have approved a limited medical psilocybin program for patients with treatment-resistant depression, Euronews reports.

Requested by the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, the program will be the European Union’s sanctioning of psilocybin as a compassionate-use drug. Patients with serious or life-threatening conditions can be approved to use experimental or unapproved drugs under a compassionate use scheme, the report said.

Dr. Gerhard Gründer, who heads the CIMH Department of Molecular Neuroimaging, said that psilocybin therapy in such cases is “medically and ethically” justified so long as the administration of the drug is handled “under strictly controlled conditions and with careful medical supervision.”

“This is an enormously important step that expands our scope for action.” — Dr. Gründer, in a statement

Germany is not the first EU member state to authorize psychedelic therapies — the Czech Republic legalized medicinal psilocybin for conditions like depression earlier this month, the report said.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., both Oregon and Colorado have passed state-level laws decriminalizing and regulating psilocybin therapy. In Alaska, advocates are aiming to decriminalize natural psychedelics with an upcoming ballot initiative.