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.
