Canadian psilocybin-assisted therapy advocate dies at age 56

A Saskatoon man who became a trailblazer for psilocybin-assisted therapy, using a psychedelic drug commonly known as magic mushrooms, has died at age 56.

Thomas Hartle struggled with end-of-life anxiety stemming from a terminal cancer diagnosis, and in 2020 he became the first person in Canada to legally access to psilocybin-assisted therapy to help cope with it.

“I really felt like it made him be here for years longer because he was so passionate about it … once he was able to try the psilocybin therapy himself,” his wife Marliss Hartle said.

Thomas died on August 13, after a 10-year battle with cancer.

Marliss said her husband’s cancer was difficult to detect which caused him to have overwhelming anxiety. He began looking for relief and came across TheraPsil, a psychedelic advocacy organization.

She said after his first treatment, there was an instant change in her husband.

“He stopped worrying so much, right? That anxiety was lifted,” she said.

Thomas previously told CTV News it helped him deal with difficult emotions and come to terms with the idea of dying, as opposed to masking anxiety with an antidepressant.

His Health Canada exemption expired after one year. He reapplied, but in 2023, he was told his application was denied.

Marliss said they started travelling out of country for treatments, but it was expensive.

Michael Kydd, a friend of Thomas Hartle, set up a GoFundMe page for a Thomas Hartle Memorial Fund to honour his legacy.

“He was such a dear friend, not just to me personally, but I think to so many Canadians and so many people across the world, because he shared his experience so openly and so courageously,” Kydd said.

Kydd said Thomas had a “profound impact” on psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Marliss said she hopes her husband’s story will help improve access to the treatment for anyone who needs it.

“I hope that the psilocybin treatment becomes available for everybody,” she said. 

With files from Pat McKay