FAQ

NSPS (formerly the Halifax Psychedelic Society) is a registered non-profit dedicated to creating cultural and political change regarding psychedelics, while providing harm reduction and support for people who are affected by substances. Our goal is to be a platform for activism, support and community. We strictly uphold our mandate to work within the current legal framework to make the changes we believe are needed.

The name stands in solidarity with dozens of other independent organizations around the world, a movement started by the Harvard Psychedelic Society in the 1960s and renewed by the San Francisco Psychedelic Society in 2012. Though Halifax is in our name, we will provide events and services for all of Atlantic Canada. Rather than claiming to represent all of the Canadian east coast we would rather help start other organizations, working cooperatively and decentralized.

The name is also a statement of pride. We are here despite the personal and professional risk to say ‘Psychedelics have helped me and we are not going to hide anymore.”

HPS is founded, funded and operated by volunteers. After several years we had gathered enough volunteers and public momentum to launch, then the pandemic caused us to cancel events and regroup.

Over the last two years we have gained our non-profit status from the province, formalized our board and attempted to offer services to the community. We have done the best we can to build HPS under these circumstances, but between the pandemic and the recent political changes it has been very challenging to regain that momentum. There have been several attempts at launching and we appreciate your patience.

Since our last attempt our team has doubled in size, including medical professionals, community builders and activists. Please help us make this organization what we believe it can be.

No. All are welcome.

Our goal is to foster the Psychedelic Movement in the Atlantic provinces. By calling ourselves ‘Halifax Psychedelic Society’ rather than ‘Atlantic Psychedelic Society’ we hoped to encourage other cities and towns to start their own groups. We believe a connected, cooperative & decentralized approach is the best way to further this movement.

That being said we want to help as many people as possible, with our focus being in Atlantic Canada.

It is our intention to begin interacting with the community ASAP. We have doubled our team size and added credentialed clinicians to our board.

This summer we will launch our fundraising campaign which will allow us to follow through on our goals. For more information see our About page.

No. We do not take part in any illegal activity.

Sign up for our email list and you will be notified once membership goes live! We will have a fundraising campaign before we launch membership as this has significant expenses.

In short, there will be two types of membership.

Community Member: Free and open to all with special content, events and resources. We will focus on community building and making sure all are welcome.

Formal Member: Due to the ‘Societies Act’ in which we incorporated under, ‘Members’ have certain responsibilities. We must have certain information collected (address, legal name, profession, etc) and shared with the province. This seemed like a huge barrier to entry and we did not want leave people out for valuing their privacy. Formal Members are also required to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting. This type of membership likely will not be available until 2023.

This is a complicated question and one whose answer will change as time goes on. Currently the only way to access psychedelics legally is through your doctor. Typically they are prescribed for end of life anxiety and illness related distress. For more information check out TheraPsil and Canada’s Special Access Program to see if you qualify. This article can help.

It is the goal of HPS to change laws, support practitioners and help keep you informed as this changes. Access is coming but systemic change takes time.

There are treatment centers in countries where this is legal, or countries like Peru where access to sacred plant medicines like Ayahuasca is available. At this time we cannot recommend specific facilities.

It should be noted that edible cannabis can be considered a psychedelic and is legal in Canada. We recommend caution when experimenting with high doses.

For the time being HPS is not recommending specific clinics due to the lack of available services. As legislation changes and more services are being offered our aim is to empower individual choice and ensure public safety with people accessing reputable providers. Stay tuned for updates.

At present psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is not widely available to the public due to current legal constraints. The majority of this work is being done by underground therapists, and HPS will not facilitate access to these services.

It is our sincere intention to connect those who need help to legal service providers, but this will take time.

HPS is not aware of current authorized administrators in Atlantic Canada that provide psychedelic assisted psychotherapy outside of ketamine treatment. HPS is not endorsing any specific providers at this time.

HPS will not be facilitating individual access to underground ceremonies. As legislation changes we will adjust our policy accordingly.

Cannabis is legal and intentional use can be done in ceremony. It has a long history as a sacrament in various religions and cultures. We cannot recommend any facilitators at this time.

As stated above, for people who are interested in gaining medical access to psilocybin therapy we encourage you to reach out to TheraPsil. As legislation changes and more resources become available we will provide updates and help people gain access to these services.

In the meantime, we suggest reaching out to our allies at TheraPsil, inform yourself on the Health Canada approved Special Access program in order to see if you qualify for these services.

If you find yourself in a mental health crisis please reach out to the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team at 1-888-429-8167 for immediate assistance.

We are not aware of any NS based study opportunities for psychedelic therapy right now.

This article provides a basic primer on available trainings online, in addition organizations like TheraPsil and Atma provide training programs for licensed mental health professionals.

Join HPS! We will be hosting community events to support increased connections within our growing community of like minded people.

Soon we will have integration circles, private message boards, social events and other ways to share your experience.

Stay tuned, HPS is working towards this resource and will provide updates when ready.

Join HPS! We will be hosting networking opportunities for health professionals to build community around this work and provide a safe space for curious minds to explore this new therapeutic frontier.