Medical use of psychedelic substances: EUDA's monitoring of key developments

Developments in the medical use of psychedelic substances have received considerable media and public attention, creating a concern that this may encourage greater experimental use of these substances outside clinical settings, potentially putting some vulnerable individuals at risk of suffering adverse consequences. There are also indications of a growth in unregulated and illegal psychedelic practices (sometimes referred to as “psychedelic retreats”) within Europe and elsewhere, in which the use of psychedelics is included as part of a wellness, therapeutic or spiritually oriented intervention (EMCDDA, 2023). Many of these psychedelic practices appear to market their services by selectively highlighting positive results from clinical trials. As such, there are strong indications that developments in clinical research are also influencing unregulated and illicit uses of psychedelics in Europe.

While certain patterns of use of psychedelics appear to be increasing in Europe, particularly related to practices often referred to as "psychedelic retreats", a robust understanding of these developments is currently lacking. In particular, little is known about the unique risks and potential harms related to the use of psychedelics in unlicensed or illegal "psychedelic retreats". Developments in this area may have important future implications for treatment and harm reduction. Simultaneously, ongoing or planned policy changes in several jurisdictions in Europe and internationally may have important implications in relation to the legal access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for a broad range of mental health indications in clinical settings. This includes the treatment of alcohol and substance use dependence.

This presentation's objective is to introduce the EUDA’s ongoing activities in this area and offer insights into this rapidly evolving field. It builds on a project launched by the EUDA to develop a better understanding of key developments across policy, research and practice related to the medical use of psychedelic substances. The key activities undertaken by the EUDA and contributing to this oral presentation include:

• Technical Expert Meeting convened in February 2023 (bringing together 20 experts from 17 different European organisations and academic institutions)
• A systematic literature review on the current state of published research on medical use of serotonergic psychedelics (focusing on the efficacy of interventions with psychedelics for specific mental health indications and associated risks and adverse events)
• A project to map existing psychedelic practices (focusing on unlicensed/illegal psychedelic "retreats") across Europe

The presentation will in particular introduce a novel typology of the broad range of psychedelic practices existing across Europe, which have previously been poorly understood and not identified through routine monitoring.