NEWS
January 14, 2025 – Interview of PsychedeliCare founder Theo Giubilei in Portuguese magazine “Sabado” with Leonor Riso
Théo Giubilei: “We want safe access to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies in Europe”
Sabado: Why did you decide to found this European Citizens’ Initiative?
I’m personally convinced of the potential benefits of psychedelics for mental health, notably for people who today don’t have access to viable treatments and continue to suffer.
I originally come from France, and two hours from my hometown, Strasbourg, people can be treated with MDMA and psilocybin. Indeed, in Switzerland such treatments have been available since 2014, under certain conditions.
To be honest, I found it quite shameful that the European Union wasn’t doing much about it, apart from one or two pioneering countries, when we know that we are going through a mental health crisis that goes beyond borders, affecting so many people and those around them.
I believe that eventually every EU citizen, if needed, should have the possibility to access these promising treatments, in an affordable and safe manner. And for that, we need to show that there is strong support from citizens and organizations from all over Europe for the introduction of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) in the EU.
On the other hand, stigma around psychedelic substances is still very prominent in Europe, and there is a huge gap between what science says and public perception. This contributes to slow down research and political initiatives.
I believed that the European Citizens’ Initiative could be an interesting tool, in the sense that an awareness campaign can be carried out, potentially also leading to political and legislative advances.
Sabado: Did you do it for a personal reason, or because you’ve come across the subject of psychedelics and mental health in the course of your professional career?
I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to experience with psilocybin which significantly helped my own mental health, in a time when I wasn’t personally doing very well. I then came across a book called « The Psychedelic Revolution » from a French psychiatrist and a scientific journalist, where I was amazed to learn about all the ongoing clinical trials and promising results of psychedelic-assisted therapies. I then explored scientific literature, documentaries and books to learn more about this topic.
I personally wanted to support moving on from the abundance of research on this matter into legal implementation. I realized that developing a European Citizens’ Initiative could actually help and could trigger a EU response. I’ve now put aside my career in Brussels and currently work in a bar on the side to be able to fully concentrate on this project.
January 14, 2025 – PSYCHEDELICARE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH DAY
Download the Launch Day Press Release as a PDF file
Launch of the PsychedeliCare Initiative: A European citizens’ call to transform mental healthcare in Europe
Today, 14 January 2025, the PsychedeliCare Initiative, the first European Citizens’ Initiative advocating for the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into the EU healthcare systems, officially launches its campaign to collect one million signatures by January 2026.
Supported by 32 associations and organized by therapists, patients, and citizens across 18 European countries, this initiative aims to urge the European
Commission to take bold action in supporting these innovative and evidence-based treatments for mental health disorders.
Mental health is a pressing issue in the European Union, with 1 in 6 EU citizens suffering from mental health conditions. Alarmingly, up to 50% of patients with major depression disorders fail to respond to current psychiatric treatments, leaving millions in need of new, effective solutions.
Psychedelic-assisted therapies are emerging as a potential breakthrough, offering rapid, safe, and durable improvements for conditions such as depression, PTSD, end-of-life anxiety, substance use disorders, and more. These therapies hold the promise of healing suffering in ways conventional treatments cannot.
The initiative’s goals are threefold:
● Foster the development of expert standards for safe and equitable
application
● Advocate for EU-funded research into these therapies
● Ensure all EU citizens have the right to access affordable, regulated
psychedelic-assisted therapies if needed
To celebrate the start of the signature campaign, several events are organized
throughout the EU and a European launch event will be organized at the
European Parliament in Brussels, on February 6th. It will gather policymakers, researchers, and advocates to discuss the initiative and its impact. Throughout the year, other such events, workshops, and media campaigns will be organized across the EU to raise awareness and encourage participation.
“Eventually every EU citizen, if needed, should have the possibility to access the promising treatments that psychedelic-assisted therapies represent. With this initiative, we aim to trigger European action in this direction and foster greater public understanding of these types of therapies, paving the way for enhanced research and supportive policy initiatives,” says Théo Giubilei, Founder of the PsychedeliCare Initiative.
“The PsychedeliCare Initiative empowers EU citizens to have autonomy and choice in their healthcare. Prohibition of research and access to psychedelic therapy is now a human rights issue. We are individuals fighting for access to these old and innovative medicines” emphasizes Ciara Reynolds, Founder of Iaso Institute Ireland, National Coordinator for Ireland.
“With this initiative, we activists want to create a future where psychedelic-assisted therapies are safely and ethically integrated into our European healthcare systems, to offer a new hope to those affected by mental health challenges. We seek to advance our policies and foster international collaboration to ensure treatments are accessible and regulated” stresses Audrey Bourget, Communication Strategist for PsychedeliCare.
To achieve this goal, we need 1 million signatures from EU citizens by January 2026. To participate in the movement:
● You can sign the initiative online
● Find out more about our Initiative, its purpose and our requests to the
European Commission here: www.psychedelicare.eu
● You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for updates,
events, and advocacy opportunities.
For interviews, inquiries, or further information, please contact us at [email protected]
This is more than a petition – it’s a continent-wide movement to redefine mental healthcare in Europe. With the support of our Partners across Europe, let’s care together for the mind.
October 10, 2024 – WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
The First European Citizens’ Initiative for Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies to be launched at the beginning of 2025
24 organizations and associations, researchers, therapists, patients, citizens from 17 European countries, are preparing a one-year campaign to collect one million signatures to call the European Commission to take action for psychedelic-assisted therapies in the European healthcare system.
For those envisioning a future where patients across the European Union (EU) have access to safe, effective, and innovative therapies to address their mental health needs, this is groundbreaking news. The full registration as a European Citizens Initiative starts the journey towards establishing an expert consensus on standards of psychedelic therapies and improving access to EU-funded research for therapeutic applications.
Today, on World Mental Health Day, we announce the official launch of the European Citizens’ Initiative Psychedelicare on 14 January 2025 to call for the future roll-out of psychedelic assisted-therapies in the European healthcare systems.
Backed by organizations and scientific societies on mental health and scientific research, the initiative has been officially registered by the European Commission on 11 September.
The human, economic and social costs of the mental health crisis are evident for all those who work on this issue. 1 in 6 people suffer from mental health conditions, and half felt depressed or anxious in the last 12 months. Up to 50% of patients do not respond to the psychiatric treatments currently available. The economic costs of mental illnesses have been estimated at 4.2% of the Union’s annual GDP, equating to €600 billion a year.
In the meantime, science is demonstrating the effectiveness of psychedelic-assisted therapies. These treatments can provide robust, safe and rapid clinical improvements with durable effects in treating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, end-of-life anxiety, and substance use disorders. Psychedelic-assisted therapies in some cases can heal suffering people as no other therapy available.
In that sense, the initiative supports the right of EU citizens to eventually access affordable psychedelic-assisted therapies, if needed.
Starting 14 January 2025, there will be one year to collect 1.000.000 signatures, from at least 7 EU Member States, in order to formally call the European Commission to foster equitable, timely, affordable, safe, and legal access to innovative psychedelic-assisted therapies. If the campaign reaches this goal, the European Commission will have up to 6 months to answer the initiative and state what action it will undertake, if any.
“With the launch in January, begins a year-long campaign that can bring hope to millions of European citizens suffering from mental health problems” says Théo Giubilei, Founder of the PsychedeliCare Initiative.
“Our goal is to alleviate suffering and improve quality of life, causes worth fighting for” adds Mario Zulić, Founder of Nepopularna Psihologija and National Coordinator for Croatia.
”Psychedelic therapies could open new frontiers in mental health care and trigger a real Renaissance of wellbeing. Our objective is to stimulate a constructive and evidence-based discussion to fully explore their therapeutic potential” underlines Annarita Eva, Member of Eumans and National Coordinator for Italy.
To learn more about, and to join the network, have a look at our Teams and follow us on Linkedin, Instagram and Facebook.
With the support of our Partners.
September 11, 2024
Psychedelics for mental health: the European Commission formally registers the European Citizens’ Initiative PsychedeliCare
On 11 September 2024, the European Commission formally registered the first European Citizens’ Initiative for mental wellbeing: PsychedeliCare.
For those envisioning a future where patients across the European Union (EU) have access to safe, effective, and innovative therapies to address their mental health needs, this is groundbreaking news. The full registration as a European Citizens Initiative starts the journey towards establishing an expert consensus on standards of psychedelic therapies and improving access to EU-funded research for therapeutic applications.
“European citizens affected by treatment-resistant depression, PTSD or substance use disorders and their loved ones have waited long enough for potentially life-changing psychedelic-assisted therapies” says Théo Giubilei, Founder of the PsychedeliCare initiative. “Reaching this milestone is a critical beginning to better supporting the patients living with mental health conditions across the EU.”
We intend to decide with our partners, national teams and activists the date of launch and announce it by 10 October 2024 on “World Mental Health Day”.
