Psilocybin therapy has shown incredible promise alleviating the debilitating existential distress many with life-threatening conditions face in their last days, sabotaging their quality of life and time with family and friends. FDA has granted “breakthrough status” to psilocybin therapy for depression, in light of safety and promising signs of efficacy in stage 2 FDA trials, especially for end of life patents. Congress passed the national Right to Try Act in 2018 to allow Americans with life-threatening conditions to access promising medicines that have passed phase I trials, without having to wait for completion of the new drug approval process.. However DEA is blocking access to psilocybin therapy, even as Canada is now allowing north of the border.  Kathryn Tucker, lead litigator in the Right to Try litigation seeking to overcome DEA obstruction and provide access for dying patients sums it up:

“To absolutely prohibit access, when state and federal law are intended to allow access, that is impermissible. …These dying patients could have immediate, substantial, and sustained relief from debilitating anxiety and depression. That’s what all the studies show.. Why anyone would obstruct access to that kind of relief for a dying patient is impossible to comprehend.”

At noon on May 9^th, 2022, patients, veterans, and other advocates will gather with family and friends in front of DEA headquarters, to protest and engage in civil disobedience, blocking DEA entrances to demand the agency stop its obstruction of duly enacted state and federal laws, and open access to this healing therapy for end-of-life suffering.

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Please donate to cover travel costs of end of life advocates as well as family and friends of the those with life-threatening conditions who want to protest!

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Short Timeline Revealing DEA’s Delay and Obstruction

January 2021: Physician and Patients request for access to psilocybin presented to DEA
February 2021: DEA denies any access for therapeutic use
March 2021: Federal court challenge to DEA position filed on behalf of physician and patients. Case is knowns as AIMS et al v DEA, filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
April-August 2021: Legal briefs filed with court, including a multitude of Friend of the Court briefs by those supporting Petitioners:
• Eight States and DC
• Cato and Goldwater Institutes
• The ACLU
• End of Life Advocates, leading researchers, leading palliative care experts
September 2021: Oral argument heard by the Ninth Circuit
January 18, 2022: a bipartisan delegation of Members of Congress submit letter to DEA urging access and compliance with RTT laws
January 31, 2022: Ninth Circuit issues opinion finding DEA action not “final” for purposes to enable judicial review.
February 2, 2022: Petitioners submit a Petition to Reschedule Psilocybin from Schedule I to Schedule II
February 10, 2022: Petitioners submit a Request for Waiver to enable access to psilocybin pursuant to state and federal RTT laws, seeking an agency action sufficiently “final” to enable judicial review. DEA has yet to even formally acknowledge receipt, and clearly intends to do everything in their power to continue to deny and delay.
March 31, 2022: Petitioners submit a Freedom of Information Act request to DEA, demanding information on it handling of the Request for Waiver and Petition to Reschedule.
April 13, 2022: Letter mailed to DEA asking why it takes so long to accept a petition for rescheduling
May 9, 2022: Activists gather outside the DEA HQ to STOP THE DEA DELAY!