Many companies offer remote therapy, which may not include key support for patients. Photograph: Phanie/Alamy
The
ketamine industry is booming, with legal clinics using the drug to
treat mental health issues, but it is experiencing growing pains, with
many clinics struggling despite increasing demand.
The
Guardian reports that the industry expanded too quickly, with clinics
vying for a slice of the $3B expected to be generated between 2021 and
2029.
- Premature expansion, health insurance coverage payment delays, and investor impatience led to closures.
- Telehealth
startups offering ketamine prescriptions sent to patients' homes
provided much cheaper alternatives to in-person therapy.
- This has led to warnings of an impending "bloodbath" and as many as seven in ten psychedelic companies facing severe challenges.
- Experts
point to the speedier rise of telehealth startups that provide cheaper
"ketamine candy" without rigorously assessing patients for medical
needs.
- Critics claim that many companies are forced to maximize profits and do not prioritize patient outcomes.
- There
is also a lack of support for those who may experience a strong
ketamine trip, with some patients sent into potentially terrifying "K
holes."
- Reportedly, there
are fears that an emerging profit-seeking culture in the unregulated
ketamine industry could undermine hopes of a psychedelic healing utopia.
