Interview of PsychedeliCare founder Theo Giubilei in Portuguese magazine “Sabado” with Leonor Riso
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.
