The government of the Canadian province of Alberta has just published a series of requirements which will be mandatory to perform assisted legal therapies with psychedelic substances. This is the first regulation of the medical use of psychedelics, which was introduced into the Regulation for the Protection of Mental Health Services through an amendment. The regulation will come into force from January 16, 2023.

The regulation establishes that clinics that offer psychedelic-assisted treatment in the province must hold a mental health clinic license and be under the medical supervision of a psychiatrist. Included as psychedelics are psilocybin, psilocin, MDMA, LSD, mescaline, DMT, 5-Meo-DMT, and ketamine. According to the official press release, the regulations were developed based on consultations with experts in psychedelic-assisted therapy, regulatory colleges and professional associations, and Alberta Health Services.

The regulation establishes three different types of requirements depending on the type of substance and the dose used, differentiating between three use cases: high psychedelic doses (sufficient to cause an altered state of consciousness), lower doses (for those that do not require no supervision during consumption) and the administration of ketamine orally, sublingually or nasally. The first type of services is the one that requires the most controls, including mandatory psychotherapeutic treatments and patient follow-up, while in the second and third cases the requirements are more lax.

“Evidence is emerging that psychedelic-assisted therapy holds great promise in treating mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression. To fully exploit the potential of this emerging field, we need to have high standards of care to protect Albertans who access care and ensure the legitimacy of therapy.These new quality standards create a solid foundation for the safe and effective use of psychedelic-assisted therapy in Alberta as the field is moving forward,” said Mike Ellis, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.