British MP calls for magic mushroom drug to be reclassified

Charlotte Nichols, a labour MP has called for the government to reclassify a drug found in magic mushrooms.

The drug, Psilocybin has been shown to be effective in treating a range of mental health conditions including PTSD, anorexia, addiction and depression.

But the drug is currently listed under Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which means it is classified in the same category as ecstasy and LSD.

Ms Nichols explained to the house that she had suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after she was the victim of a crime.

She said the condition was debilitating with the impact of the condition leading to panic attacks and in her case, a month as a psychiatric inpatient when she was sectioned. Psilocybin, could “offer a light at the end of a very dark tunnel” She went on to say it could finally “give me my life back.”

The drug can be used for the process of research, but Conservative MP Crispin Blunt said the cost of obtaining and complying with a licence was just too expensive for many researchers. He went on to say that Psilocybin should be reclassified as a priority because it was “unethical” to wait any longer.

Ms Nichols said she was disappointed that there was no sense of urgency by the government on this issue.

But Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick, said while the government wanted to tackle the issue there was also a need to tackle drug misuse, which causes harm across society.