Bill C-286

An act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drugs Act

An act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drugs Act

This enactment amends the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drugs Act to allow psilocin and psilocybin to be used for medical treatment in accordance with the Narcotic Control Regulations . It also provides for the automatic approval of requests for priority review for certain new drugs.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-286, An act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drugs Act.

Mr. Speaker, today, I am honoured to introduce Thomas's bill. Thomas was a constituent of mine. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given months to live. His anxiety was all over the place. His doctor prescribed psilocybin with counselling, and it worked. It calmed his anxiety so that his mind was put at ease and his body could fight the cancer. He accessed it through the special access programs we have in Health Canada. It was working, for three years, until they cut him off.

My private member's bill would allow physicians to prescribe psilocybin counselling to their patients and not have the bureaucrats in Health Canada override them, which is the case currently.

I am excited to introduce this bill. I look forward to it going to committee and hopefully passing this, because we face an epidemic of mental health and addiction issues. We have crises in our streets, and there is a solution that could include psilocybin counselling.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Saskatoon—University for presenting his private member's bill. I will certainly support it.

I wonder if there is unanimous consent so that I could present a private member's bill at this moment.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, given that there has been some inconsistency, I would like to request unanimous consent to be able to present my private member's bill, which has been waiting for weeks on the Order Paper.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk.

[Gaétan Malette, Conservative, Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to return to petitions under Routine Proceedings.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Burlington.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as the chair of the finance committee, it is my honour to inform the House that after 25 hours of clause-by-clause consideration, I have deposited with the clerks the report for the House's consideration.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

That is not a point of order, but it is noted.