John Schroyer
Two Alberta-based psychedelics startups are teaming up to promote psychedelic therapy across the nation.
ATMA Journey Centers and Cena Life announced the “strategic partnership” and said they’re combining resources to both connect more patients with psychedelic therapy providers and also to push for broader access to various therapies such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA.
Currently, Canadian patients who want to utilize psychedelics legally have to go through a special access program run by the federal government, which grants permission on a case-by-case basis to both therapy providers and their patients.
ATMA and Cena want to streamline that and make industry growth easier by setting up uniform standards for psychedelic therapy clinics, the companies said in a release.
Cena Life already runs two psychedelic therapy clinics – one in Edmonton and the other in Calgary – with more on the way in coming months. ATMA specializes in connecting patients to providers, facilitating psychedelic clinical trials, and expanding the number of psychedelic healthcare professionals.
“Psychedelic therapy will need to find a path of integration into the health care system if it is to be legalized and widely accessible,” Vu Tran, ATMA’s CEO, said in a statement. “Cena Life brings a wealth of knowledge of the Canadian health care industry that will certainly help bridge that integration.”
The two companies noted that their partnership comes in advance of “anticipation of the legalization of MDMA-assisted therapy” in 2024 by the Canadian government, and signaled they’re hopeful that move will herald a broader psychedelics legalization move, which could further fuel the burgeoning sector.
Cena’s CEO, Reverdi Darda, said that “joining forces with ATMA amplifies our capability to expand our mission exponentially.”
“Together, we aim to streamline a nationwide network of clinics committed to safety, regulatory alignment, and excellence,” Darda said. “We are not just increasing access to therapies like psychedelic-assisted therapy and ketamine-assisted therapy, but we’re also opening doors for therapists across the country to be a part of this monumental movement.
“We are aware that in the past individuals have had to seek support on the underground. Our aim is to ensure that there is access to care in regulated programs based initially on the standards in Alberta and compliant across the country as the regulatory landscape evolves,” she added.
