With a rise in clinical research and trials into the use of psychedelic therapies for mental health, and with a number of countries changing regulations around access to psychedelics – there is an urgent need for frameworks of delivery that consider ethics and reciprocity.
Non-profit drug policy reform group, Drug Science, has set out a framework for the development of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PAT) in this manner.
In a paper published in Frontiers in Psychology, the authors stress that “reports of unethical conduct have surfaced from both inside and outside the legal framework” and that “the assimilation of psychedelics into a purely biomedical framework risks repeating historical injustices and exacerbating inequities.”
They state that Access, Reciprocity and Conduct (ARC) aims to:
- Access: Provide a foundation for a sustainable psychedelic infrastructure, prioritising equal access to PAT for those in need of mental health treatment.
- Conduct: Promote the safety of those delivering and receiving PAT in clinical contexts.
- Reciprocity: Respect the traditional and spiritual uses of psychedelic medicines.
Speaking to Psychedelic Health, co-author, Dr Anne Schlag, commented: “Psychedelic medicines, and psychedelic-assisted therapy, are at a really exciting phase – their huge potential brings with it questions of risk and responsibility, some of which we aimed to address in the current paper.
“We highlight the importance of prioritising the ethical and equitable development of these medicines. This development needs to include Access, Reciprocity and Conduct (ARC): Access for those in need of mental health treatment, Reciprocity, such as respect of and benefit sharing with traditional communities, and Conduct of psychedelic therapists and healthcare providers.
“We hope that our initial framework offers a contribution to tackling the complex ethical questions that arise from the rapid development of psychedelic medicines in the Global North.”
Warning that indigenous peoples are often left out of the sector, the authors highlight that this raises ethical issues related to “cultural appropriation, patenting of “the sacred” and exclusionary practices in research.”
Therefore, the framework will be addressing the responsibilities of the psychedelic community regarding the ethical considerations of indigenous communities.
To develop the framework, stakeholders from research, industry, therapy, community, and indigenous settings will collaborate to develop an ethics statement for each pillar of ARC. The statements will then be reviewed and refined by a wider audience from these communities.
Read the framework in full here: www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119115/full
