New federal regulatory amendments allow physicians to request restricted psychedelics

The move towards making psychedelics more readily legally accessible is gaining momentum.

The federal government quietly enacted long-awaited amendments that allow healthcare practitioners to request access to restricted drugs, like psychedelics, for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions in cases where other therapies have failed, are unsuitable, or are not available in Canada. Continue reading “New federal regulatory amendments allow physicians to request restricted psychedelics”

Mixed reaction over Quebec’s proposed youth protection reform

The Quebec government, following up on a report that cast a critical eye on the province’s youth protection system, has tabled a proposed legislative reform that underlines and clarifies the notion of the best interests of the child as well as introduces new provisions to take into account the historical, social and cultural factors of Indigenous people.

The reform will also relax strict confidentiality provisions that have hampered communication between frontline workers and other healthcare professionals, reaffirms that children must be represented by an advocate, and entrusts the newly created position of National Director of Youth Protection with the responsibility of determining policy directions and practice standards, buttressed with the power to implement “corrective” measures.

Continue reading “Mixed reaction over Quebec’s proposed youth protection reform”