International Journal of Drug Policy
July 6, 2026
Sarah Kratina, Robert Schwartz, Carol Strike et al.
Canada's evolving attitudes toward psychedelic interventions in palliative and end-of-life care reflect a departure from historically prohibitionist policies and an emerging recognition of their therapeutic potential for individuals facing end-of-life distress. This shift parallels international regulatory developments in jurisdictions such as the United States, Australia and parts of Europe,...
Social science & medicine (1982)
February 1, 2026
Sarah Kratina, Carol Strike, Robert Schwartz et al.
Psychedelic substances are recognized for their potential to ease psychological suffering linked to end-of-life issues, yet policy remains restrictive. The wide range of both substances and therapeutic approaches used in end-of-life populations has not been adequately covered by reviews to date. To identify and learn from the variety that exists within the research on therapeutic psychedelic...
Politics & Policy
January 24, 2026
Sarah Kratina, Robert Schwartz, Carol Strike et al.
2 citations
ABSTRACT Psychedelic interventions are not publicly available through Canada's healthcare system. Despite growing scientific evidence, public interest, and efforts to expand access to psychedelic therapies for end‐of‐life psychological suffering, Canadian policies remain restrictive. Efforts are underway to expand access, but knowledge gaps exist regarding the policy landscape in Canada. This...
General Hospital Psychiatry
2026
David T. Kryszajtys, Carol Strike, Brian Rush et al.
1 citation
Some individuals interpret persistent depression and anxiety, alongside the exhaustion of standard treatment options, as leading to a desperate need for relief. While desperation may shape how people assess treatment options, its role in psychedelic self-treatment and its relevance for emerging clinical models of psychedelic treatment remain underexplored. We collected discussion threads from...
PLoS One
2025
Sarah Kratina, Carol Strike, Robert Schwartz et al.
1 citation
Psychedelic substances are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential to ease psychological suffering linked to end-of-life issues. However, amid renewed scientific and public interest, policy remains restrictive. Existing reviews have made progress in synthesizing the results of studies of psychedelic interventions, especially psilocybin, and particularly with regard to their...
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
April 1, 2024
David T. Kryszajtys, Jacqueline L. Bender, Brian Rush et al.
2 citations
Little is known about how people decide to use psychedelics to self-treat depression and anxiety, though the practice is growing. We explored online community discussions of members’ decisions around self-treatment with psychedelics for depression or anxiety. We used constructivist grounded theory to select and analyze 98 members’ posts across 95 discussion threads (99, 552 words) and...
October 27, 2023
Sarah Kratina, Christopher Lo, Robert Schwartz et al.
preprint
ABSTRACTBackground: Psychedelic substances are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential to ease psychological suffering linked to end-of-life issues. However, amid renewed scientific and public interest, policy remains restrictive. Existing reviews have made progress in synthesizing the results of studies of psychedelic interventions, especially psilocybin, and particularly with...
Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante
May 1, 2023
Sarah Kratina, Christopher Lo, Carol Strike et al.
8 citations
In Canada, the conversation to enable access to therapeutic psychedelics is under way. With recent federal initiatives, Canadians can request access to psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) to alleviate enduring and intolerable psychological suffering (EIPS) associated with life-threatening conditions on a case-by-case basis. The resurgence of past research concerning the therapeutic potential...