Kingston, Ont. hospital opens psychedelic research, treatment centre

Kington, Ont. has a first-of-its-kind psychedelic medical centre in Canada at Providence Care Hospital.

The hospital, in partnership with Queen's University, celebrated the opening of the Centre for Psychedelics Health and Research at Evolving in a grand opening Wednesday.

The project came to light following a “psychedelics research collaborative founded at Queen’s University in 2001, and with new support from the Ontario Brain Institute, and the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression(CAN-BIND),” reads a news release.

Research to explore the therapeutic use of psychedelics in treating mental illness, substance abuse, chronic pain and palliative needs will be conducted at the centre.

"Providence Care is at the forefront of psychedelic health and research in Ontario and in Canada. I have no doubt that the Centre will help our health-care system make informed choices about the efficacy and safety of psychedelics in the future," said Dr. Claudio Soares, who is a professor of psychiatry at Queen’s University, senior Researcher at Providence Care, and director of the centre.

The first-of-its-kind centre will look into innovative ways to approach psychedelic science while providing training opportunities a nationwide training opportunities for researchers and health-careproviders across the country.

According to the release, it is meant to remove the stigma associated with the use of psychedelics in medical treatments in Canada and across the world.

"Psychedelics are emerging as a therapeutic tool for a number of indications, with the strong potential to help people on their journey to wellness and recovery. Yet much is still unknown about the safety and efficacy of these agents, and regulatory bodies require better research and data than what we have currently. The work to be conducted at the Centre will not only benefit the greater Kingston community; it will help shape the future of psychedelics in health care," added Dr. Soares.

Dr. Benicio Frey, director of the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression, says the field of psychedelic health requires research and well-designed clinic trials.

"With that in mind, we are delighted to partner with Providence Care and its new centre as we establish a national clinical trial platform dedicated to psychedelics research," said Dr. Frey.

Dean of Queen's Health Sciences, Jane Philpott, adds that psychedelics have shown some promise in the treatment of mental health and addictions. 

The hospital adds that the next steps will be equipping the centre with the necessary resources to ensure the success of its research and medical trials.