Deputy Mental Health and Addictions Minister Mike Ellis also introduced new rules to limit who can prescribe high-potency drugs to people with hard-to-treat opioid addictions. The changes aim to protect the public, ensure patients receive high standards of care and prevent dangerous drugs from inadvertently ending up on the streets. Dr. Rob Tanguay, a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction medicine and pain management, said patients are vulnerable when taking psychedelics and need protection. “The risk is much lower with a psychologist who is enrolled in his college than someone who is typing [a certificate] offline and then went online to advertise, “I’m a psychedelic healer, come see me,” Tanguay said at a news conference in Edmonton Thursday. Researchers are increasingly studying the use of psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD and ketamine to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression resistant to conventional treatments. Calgary psychiatrist Dr. The center’s Rob Tanguay says patients are in a vulnerable state when taking psychedelic drugs and should only be supervised and treated by qualified health professionals. Tanguay attends a press conference Oct. 5, 2022, in Edmonton, with Deputy Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Mike Ellis, left, and David Fascinato, executive director, Heroic Hearts Project Canada, right. (Janet French/CBC) Although these drugs are illegal in Canada, doctors and researchers can apply to Health Canada to use them in clinical trials, gain special access for treatment or seek an exemption that is in the public interest. Health Canada was unable to provide information Wednesday on how many people are authorized to prescribe the drugs. Advocates for their use have said in the past that obtaining permission is rare. In a technical briefing Wednesday, Alberta health officials said they are preparing a regulatory framework in the province as the field is expected to develop. Alberta’s new regulations would require medical directors to apply for a license before treating patients with psychedelics for mental health disorders. A psychiatrist would have to oversee any treatment, under the regulations that will come into force in January 2023. Healthcare professionals would not be able to charge money for the drugs and a qualified practitioner must only give patients the drug in medical facilities – unless the person is in palliative care. Staff must supervise patients while they are in an altered state of mind and must immediately report any serious injuries or deaths to the government. The rules are more relaxed for doctors who prescribe ketamine or drugs in very low doses to produce psychedelic effects. Dr. Peter Silverstone, an Edmonton psychiatrist who was not involved in Thursday’s announcement, said Alberta’s new standards are good news for patients. Dr. Peter Silverstone is an Edmonton psychiatrist who has written and researched the use of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He says the new dispensary regulations in Alberta are a positive step in protecting patients. (Submitted by Peter Silverstone) Silverstone, who wrote a book called The Promise of Psychedelics, says there is evidence that taking the drugs can make patients’ brains more malleable and receptive to psychotherapy. Regulations are a pragmatic way to prevent damage as the field evolves, he said. “It’s fantastic to have the ability for new tools,” he said. “The promise is huge. Let’s not do it in an unsafe way.”
Prescriptions for opioid addictions
Sometimes, doctors prescribe opioid-addicted patients precise doses of less harmful opioids to help gradually reduce their dependence on the drug. However, some people do not seem to respond to more common treatments, including methadone or buprenorphine. In these cases, doctors may prescribe stronger drugs, such as hydromorphone, diacetylmorphine, or fentanyl for a shorter period of time. They come with more risk, but may help a patient eventually transition to a safer course of addiction treatment. The Alberta government says obtaining these highly potent addiction treatment drugs will soon be available only through the Opioid Dependence Program administered by Alberta Health Services (AHS). Officials are also committed to expanding clinics offering the service beyond Edmonton and Calgary to Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Dr. Nathaniel Day, medical director of Alberta’s Virtual Opioid Addiction Program, says the province needs to balance making more treatment options available to people with addictions while also preventing dangerous drugs from falling into the wrong hands. He said expanding access to stronger opioids will help stabilize people with the most serious, hard-to-treat addictions so they can move on to more conventional treatments. “There is hope,” he told a government press conference. “People can and do recover from this challenge every day.” Patients should take the drugs in front of health professionals on site. Prescribers should indicate why they are being prescribed and should try to move patients to a less dangerous course of treatment as soon as possible. One month from now, family doctors who prescribe these drugs and work out of AHS clinics will no longer be able to start new patients on these high-risk treatments. Day said despite these new restrictions, the goal of the program is to expand access across the province, not limit it. The changes will be phased in over the next five months. The regulations do not apply to doctors who prescribe drugs to treat pain. Deputy Minister Ellis also announced a $500,000 investment in a provincial pain strategy, which will help doctors more responsibly prescribe opioids to manage pain while preventing addictions.
