Archive · 18 Jun 2025
New Zealand Approves Magic Mushroom Compound for Medical Use
New Zealand has given the green light for doctors to use magic mushroom compound psilocybin as medicine.
This is for people with depression who haven't found help elsewhere.
The government is letting certain psychiatrists prescribe it, but only if they've worked with it before.
These doctors must carefully track how it's used.
It's like a special new option for people with tough depression.
This move is similar to what Australia did last year, opening the door for using substances like MDMA and psilocybin in medical treatments for conditions like PTSD and depression.
New Zealand approved psilocybin, a compound in magic mushrooms, for medicinal use.
The approval allows psychiatrists to prescribe psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.
Only psychiatrists with experience in psilocybin clinical trials can prescribe it.
Use of the drug will be strictly reported with detailed record-keeping.
Australia approved medicinal use of psilocybin in 2023.
- Who
- Psychiatrists with experience in psilocybin clinical trials
- What
- New Zealand approved the medicinal use of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.
- When
- Wednesday (implied)
- Where
- New Zealand
- Why
- To help patients with treatment-resistant depression.
- Drug Approved
- Psilocybin
- Purpose
- Medicinal use for treatment-resistant depression
- Prescribers
- Experienced psychiatrists
- Reporting
- Strict reporting and record-keeping required
- Previous Approval
- Australia approved in 2023