Magic mushrooms coming out of the shadows in Vancouver
The pandemic has seen a huge increase in the number of people suffering from a variety of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are four times as many people suffering now compared to pre-pandemics levels. A Vancouver company is hoping to help change that.
Vancouver Delic Corp. and Delic Labs are currently conducting research into psilocybin, or magic mushrooms, which has shown promise as an alternative therapy for various mental health issues.
Those include “PTSD, depression, treatment-resistant depression, OCD, anxiety,” said Matt Stang, Delic CEO. “Right now Canada has the only licensure that allows for psilocybin research.”
Delic is also in the final stages of acquiring three ketamine infusions centres in the U.S., two in Phoenix and one in Bakersfield California.
Emily Curtis, who suffers from depression, sought out psychedelic therapy after suffering a severe depressive event in 2017.
“I’ve kind of had problems with clinical depression, on and off, since I was in college,” Curtis explained.
“Nothing was really working.”
Until she started going to a ketamine infusion centre.
“I know a lot of people when I talk about using ketamine infusions they’re like, ‘Oh special K, the party drug?’”
While they may illegal party drugs for some, Ketamine and psilocybin are coming out of the shadows.
“These novel molecules are perhaps the most beneficial way to help people with mental health disorders,” said Stang. “Right now Canada has the only licensure that allows for psilocybin research.”
There are several studies showing promise for psychedelic therapies as well. Although Health Canada has no approved psilocybin products, it told CTV News it has granted 36 exemptions for psilocybin treatments for terminally ill patients suffering psychological distress.
However, there is still a long way to go before and more research to be done before these kind of therapies to be fully approved.
“I don’t want to be the person who comes on and says here’s these magic beans, it’s going to fix everything and the world’s going to be better,” said Stang.
However, he is hopeful, and so is Curtis, who says ketamine has made a huge difference for her.
“You just don’t know who’s suffering,” she said. “I’ve been able to kind of figure out a new career. I have been able to be a present parent. It’s really been a game changer for me.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Denial and uncertainty are looming over a Biden-Trump rematch 6 months out from U.S. Election Day
Exactly six months before Election Day, Biden and Trump are locked in the first contest in 112 years with a current and former president competing for the White House. It's a race that is at once deeply entrenched and highly in flux as many voters are only just beginning to embrace the reality of the 2024 campaign.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 60, with 101 people missing
Massive floods in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state killed at least 60 people and another 101 were reported missing, according to Sunday's toll from local authorities.
Israel closes Gaza crossing after Hamas attack and vows military operation 'in the very near future'
Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, reportedly wounding several Israelis, while the defense minister warned of "a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza."
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.