8 States Join Push to Allow Cancer Patients to Use Compound Found in Magic Mushrooms – How Can Psilocybin Help?

The attorneys filed a friend of the court brief last week backing cancer patients who wish to make use of the therapy. The Right to Try Act was signed into law in 2018 and gives terminally ill patients the right to try therapies that are still in the clinical trial process and have not yet been federally approved.

How Can Psilocybin Help People With Cancer?

Humans have been using magic mushrooms, which psilocybin is naturally found in, for religious and spiritual experiences for years — some historians even believe it’s been centuries.

But recently, evidence has started to emerge to suggest that psilocybin can be useful for treating depression and anxiety. For people dealing with cancer, depression and anxiety are often a part of the process.

“The science and evidence and the knowledge base are very clear,” Dr. Aggarwal told SurvivorNet about using the compound in end-of-life care. “We know that in well-designed controlled studies, cancer patients using psilocybin in a supervised fashion with preparation, guidance, support, and integration afterward can have pretty remarkable and sustained relief of non-physical suffering.”

He pointed out that psilocybin has shown improvement when it comes to depressed moods and feelings of hopelessness or existential distress people living with cancer can sometimes experience.

“It’s sort of this multi-layer psycho-spiritual response that could be of great benefit to people with cancer or any type of life-threatening illness,” Dr. Aggarwal said.

Why Are Legal Experts Coming Out in Support of the Drug?

In the friend of the court brief, the state attorneys general accused the DEA of overreaching its power by rejecting patient access to psilocybin. The lawyers pointed to the therapeutic potential of not just psilocybin, but also MDMA, which is also being studied for its therapeutic qualities.

“This [Right to Try] law is another way for patients who have been diagnosed with life-threatening diseases or conditions who have tried all approved treatment options and who are unable to participate in a clinical trial to access certain unapproved treatments,” the brief says.

Kathryn Tucker, the lead attorney for the petitioners, told SurvivorNet that psilocybin “fills a gap” when it comes to palliative treatment.

“In my view, any/all cancer patients, their families/supporters, and clinicians ought support opening access to this promising investigational drug, as contemplated by the letter and spirit of the Right to Try laws,” Tucker said.

“It fills a gap in the palliative care toolbox, to address non-physical suffering. This is so important not just to quality of life but also to quantity. And particularly in light of the fact that so many terminally ill patients now have the option to advance time of death, via aid in dying (death with dignity); surely we ought allow, and indeed perhaps it will become best practice, to offer those interested in that option the option of psilocybin therapy, which may (or may not) alter the patient's decision [regarding] that and other options.”

Can Psilocybin be Used for Other People With Cancer?

The current lawsuit involves patients with terminal disease seeking access to psilocybin to ease mental health symptoms. However, Dr. Aggarwal suggested that this type of therapy could be useful to people dealing with other ailments as well.

“Right to Try [involves] certain types of serious illness patients that need faster access … because time is of the essence,” he said. However, he noted that doctors are looking into using psilocybin for “patients of all kinds who are not just terminal, but are dealing with all kinds of maladies.”

“It’s not necessarily that you have to have a certain disease to benefit from this type of therapy,” he said. “In terms of preventative health, wellbeing, there’s certainly indications that it could play more roles there. Right now, Right to Try is the fastest way for us to secure this for patients who need help now.”

Patients whose disease is not considered terminal may also be able to take advantage of Right to Try legislation to use the investigative drug, as certain diseases do come with a risk of recurrence that may lead to increased anxiety or trouble with day-to-day living.

“Many stages of survivorship could qualify and benefit under Right to Try laws,” Dr. Aggarwal said. “A doctor could still think you have a life-threatening illness, even though you may be in a post-treatment phase.”

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