Psychiatrist calls for rethink on psychedelic drug restrictions

Psychedelic drugs, such as LSD and magic mushrooms, are less harmful than previously claimed and should be reclassified so they can potentially treat anxiety and addictions, a leading psychiatrist has said.

Writing in the BMJ, James Rucker, honorary lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, says there is no evidence to show the drugs are habit-forming and little evidence to show they are harmful when used in controlled settings.

However, legal restrictions introduced in 1967 have made clinical studies into their benefits almost impossible. Pilot studies outside the UK have indicated that psychedelics could be effective in treating anxiety associated with advanced cancer, as well as obsessive compulsive disorder, tobacco and alcohol addiction and cluster headaches.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The legal classification of psychedelic drugs – which is more severe than that of heroin and cocaine – means that researchers face "practical, financial and bureaucratic obstacles" when trying to carry out medical trials involving the drugs, says Rucker.

Only one manufacturer in the world produces psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) at a sufficient quality and charges £100,000 for one gram, he writes. On top of that, institutions and prescribers in the UK require licences that cost thousands of pounds.

"Only four hospitals currently hold such licences, which come with regular police inspections and onerous rules on storage and transport," he says.

Rucker is calling on the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and the UN to support the reclassification of psychedelics, which are currently classified as schedule 1 drugs under the UK Misuse of Drugs Regulations, which governs research, and as class A drugs under the UK Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

This schedule 1 classification indicates that they have "no accepted medical use and the greatest potential for harm, despite the existence of research evidence to the contrary", says Rucker. He wants them classified as schedule 2 compounds, the same as the "less restricted but more harmful drugs" such as heroin.

The Home Office told The Independent it had a "clear licensing regime, supported by legislation, which allows legitimate research to take place in a secure environment while ensuring that harmful drugs are not misused and do not get into the hands of criminals".