Psilocybin and MDMA now ‘accessible’ in Australia

Psilocybe subaeruginosa, Australia’s most common psilocybin mushroom. Photo by Jonathan Carmichael.

From today, July 1st 2023, Australian psychiatrists can apply to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin.

While MDMA and psilocybin remain Schedule 9 prohibited substances in Australia, there is now a very limited scope for them to be also considered Schedule 8 controlled medicines, when a very strict and narrow set of conditions are met. This means that they are no less illegal to possess or trade than they were before in most situations.

It’s true that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has reclassified MDMA and psilocybin from Schedule 9 (Prohibited Substances) to Schedule 8 (Controlled Medicines), but with very strict conditions. Essentially, this means authorised psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. 

Commonly prescribed anti represents like SSRIs, are often criticised as having limited effectiveness and a range of undesirable side-effects. For many, therefore, MDMA and psilocybin could prove to be life-changing medications where no other treatments work. 

However, MDMA and psilocybin, prescribed in line with the TGA guidelines and administered in combination with psychotherapy provided by one or two authorised therapists, will be expensive – in fact, probably unaffordable for those who could benefit most. Furthermore, there is currently limited infrastructure in place to regulate this new industry, as well as a lack of clinical research evidence that would have normally justified such a regulatory shift.

Opinions on the TGA’s rescheduling decision are divided. All the same, most stakeholders within plant and psychedelic communities can agree that we need new drug laws, even if ideas vary widely about what these new drug laws should look like. Some people want the legalisation of psychedelic medicines, some want decriminalisation, while others want legal markets for all drugs - not just plants, medicines, and psychedelics.

Drug law reform, with decriminalisation as a first step, is urgently needed if we wish to reduce stigma, institutional racism, hardship, and suffering in a more long-term and meaningful way for many in the world. 

Despite conflicting opinions about the most promising pathway toward the formulation of new drug policies, there is some common ground. Australia’s rescheduling of MDMA and psilocybin represents a significant step towards positive change. Everyone hopes for drug policy that has greater benefits for people, plants, and the environment. This rescheduling is a real opportunity to learn more about how changing drug laws can impact our community, especially if it can be supported by government institutions and if psychedelic-assisted therapy can be made accessible to more people in the longer term. 

With this change, more new questions arise. How will the rescheduling of psilocybin impact Psilocybe subaeruginosa and other psychoactive mushroom populations? Will these Schedule changes lead to more interest in psychedelic research in Australia, even setting us on a course to become world leaders in the space?   

We have now entered the psychedelic mainstream; we must watch and learn from this rescheduling process to find the next safe step on our entheogenic path.

We have waited so long for positive change to come about; let’s travel the right road, not the quickest one. The ability to access and grow our beloved plants and fungi is as important as these law changes are too many here. We urge for these scheduling changes to be followed by much-needed drug law reform that will effect positive change to everyone… the real definition of “accessible”. 

Psychoactive mushrooms remain just as illegal today, as they were yesterday.