Dear Dame Diana Johnson MP,
 

We join public bodies such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists and mental health charities like CALM and SANE to urge the Home Office to commission an urgent ACMD review of the evidence of psilocybin’s relative harms and utility with a view to rescheduling without delay. The archaic status of psilocybin as a Schedule 1 drug under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 is not only a blatant disregard for evidence, but it is also a direct impediment to vital medical and scientific research.
 

While countries like the United States and Australia are embracing the immense therapeutic potential of psilocybin and MDMA, the UK continues to drag its feet, trailing behind in the global race for innovative mental health treatments. The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy status for these substances in 2018, and the Australian TGA followed suit in 2023, enabling licensed psychiatrists to prescribe them. Yet, the UK remains shackled by outdated policies.
 

The evidence is indisputable: psilocybin assisted therapy offers a powerful and revolutionary alternative for treating treatment-resistant depression, which afflicts 1.2 million people in Britain alone. This non-toxic, safe substance not only tackles some of the root causes of mental ill health but also has a significantly lower risk profile compared to long-term SSRI antidepressant use.
 

The UK's continued resistance to acknowledging psilocybin's medical potential is a glaring injustice. This oversight is founded on a lack of evidence, as no initial review of psilocybin's relative harms and utility was ever conducted, nor has any review been conducted since. The Home Office's history of inertia on this issue becomes more inexcusable with every passing day and every avoidable suicide. 
 

The ACMD's recommendations on reducing barriers to researching Schedule 1 drugs and the expedited MHRA medicine approval processes are a step forward, but they do not absolve the Home Office from addressing the elephant in the room: the baseless scheduling of psilocybin. The disparity between the treatment of mental and physical health conditions in the UK is a disgrace, and it is high time for the government to take a stand for the millions of patients waiting for relief.
 

The Home Office must immediately facilitate scientific and clinical research, expedite access, and base psilocybin's scheduling on evidence by commissioning an urgent review of the evidence by the ACMD with a view to rescheduling. The UK must no longer lag behind other nations in providing innovative, safe, and effective mental health treatments to its citizens.
 

Sincerely,

​

Charlotte Nichols MP