Norway – The Downside of Safety?

Norway is among the world’s safest and most stable countries. This safety brings many advantages – but it can also make us less open to new ideas and experiences that could strengthen mental health and personal growth.

By Nikolai Bakke, Safety Facilitator at Project Pvit
Oslo, May 22, 2025

Internationally, research interest in psilocybin is growing – especially in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Norway has taken a cautious approach, which may be wise when facing unfamiliar phenomena. But it is worth asking: have we become so cautious that we risk missing new opportunities?

Norwegian society is marked by high trust and strong institutions. That creates stability – but it can also mean that new ideas are met with automatic skepticism, especially when they challenge established frameworks. This is true, for instance, in research on psilocybin, where support is limited and independent research environments are few.

Psychedelics remain controversial, yet recent studies show that psilocybin – in safe settings – can foster greater mental flexibility, reduce symptoms of depression, and provide new insights into one’s life situation. This should invite curiosity rather than automatic rejection or uncritical acceptance.

Norway has often been slow to embrace what later became widely accepted – from LGBTQ rights, to media diversity, to the joy of skateboarding. Perhaps the lesson is that it matters to be both careful and forward-looking at the same time.

Our oil wealth has given us unique opportunities, but also a certain sense of complacency. When safety becomes a goal in itself, we risk losing the ability to explore the unknown. That may not be a threat – but it should give us pause.

Maybe the time has come to make more room for exploration, for open research and for more nuanced conversations about how consciousness and mental health can be strengthened. Not in opposition to safety – but as its natural extension.

© Pvit 2025

The Battle for Consciousness – Who Should Decide Over Our Inner Worlds?

By Nikolai Bakke, Safety Facilitator at Project Pvit
Oslo, September 5, 2024

In recent years, substances like psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA have received renewed attention in both scientific research and popular culture. Once demonized and banned in the 1970s, these substances are now being studied for their potential to treat a range of mental health conditions, including depression, PTSD and addiction.

This development raises important questions about how these substances can be integrated into our current medical and social systems—or whether they demand a radically new approach.

These substances differ from conventional medicine. They act as powerful tools for exploring consciousness and exist at the intersection of spirituality and health. For many, they function almost like sacraments, raising questions about how they can be introduced into a science-based healthcare system that typically emphasizes standardization and control. How can we reconcile the potentially life-affirming experiences these substances can offer with a system designed for efficiency, regulation and clinical evidence?

Power and Control

History shows us that states and other powerful entities often seek to control substances that can alter states of mind. Alcohol and tobacco are strictly regulated, and drugs are criminalized in most societies. This is not only about public health; it is also about control. Mind-altering substances, with their potential to produce deep shifts in perception, awareness and values, present a particular challenge to established power structures and the status quo.

Substances that affect consciousness can make us see the world in new ways, and in some cases, they can trigger experiences that challenge dominant ideologies and social norms. This potential for change can be threatening to those in positions of power and influence. If such substances were to become widely used, they might spark waves of social and cultural transformation that are hard to predict. As a result, states and other power structures will naturally seek to regulate and control access to these substances.

The Power to Define

If the state gains exclusive control over how mind-altering substances are used, it also gains the power to define what constitutes correct or acceptable use. This could lead to a situation where these substances are only permitted in highly controlled clinical settings, administered under strict supervision by medical professionals. While such control may be necessary to ensure safety, it can also limit the potential for personal or spiritual exploration.

This kind of approach may marginalize those who view these substances as more than just therapeutic tools. For many, they represent a path to deeper self-awareness, spiritual growth and a more profound understanding of the world around us. If the state or medical authorities set the boundaries for how these substances can be used, alternative ways of thinking and being in the world may be suppressed or pushed to the margins.

Such monopolies on the power to define have historically led to the marginalization of Indigenous practices. For example, the traditional use of ayahuasca, peyote and other entheogens by Indigenous peoples has often been suppressed or criminalized in the wake of colonization and Western legislation. This highlights how spiritual and cultural approaches can easily fall outside legal acceptance when the state alone determines what constitutes legitimate use.

The Risk of Power Imbalances

When the state or other major institutions such as healthcare systems control access to these substances, dangerous power imbalances can arise. If only certain groups in society are granted legal access, this may reinforce existing social and economic inequalities. Those who already have resources and influence may benefit from the valuable aspects of mind-altering substances, while marginalized individuals or those outside the system are excluded—or even punished for unauthorized use.

This could result in a two-tiered system, where access to these substances is effectively reserved for a privileged minority. Those seeking personal or spiritual enlightenment outside of sanctioned channels may face criminal prosecution. In such cases, the legal system itself becomes a tool of social control.

A New Way of Thinking

To avoid these imbalances of power and promote a more inclusive approach to consciousness-altering substances, we must be willing to think differently.

Here are a few suggestions:

Decentralization: A model that promotes local control and decentralized decision-making could offer a way forward. Local community initiatives or grassroots organizations could play a role in education and facilitation, thereby reducing the need for centralized control. This also means engaging with existing underground networks that hold valuable, long-standing knowledge about the use of these substances. The result would be diverse approaches, where different communities and groups can determine what works best for them.
Collaborative Regulation: Instead of full control by the state or healthcare authorities, regulatory models could be developed that include a wide range of stakeholders—user communities, spiritual leaders, philosophers, healthcare professionals, medical researchers and others. Naturally, this should also include entities working closely with Norway’s cultural heritage—namely, respect for and connection to nature. Such collaboration could help ensure that the use of mind-altering substances is not dictated solely by one or a few power structures, but reflects a broad spectrum of interests and needs across all sectors of society.
Education and Openness: To reduce stigma and fear surrounding these substances, increased education and open dialogue are essential. Through informed discussion, we can work toward a culture where mind-altering substances are understood in all their complexity. Openness also includes acknowledging and addressing the potential risks involved with use.
Respect for Individual Rights: A crucial part of this conversation is the individual’s right to self-determination. It must be recognized that people have a fundamental right to explore their own consciousness on their own terms—as long as it does not compromise the safety and well-being of themselves or of others. Legislation and regulation should therefore be balanced, taking both public health and personal freedom into account.

These substances represent an opportunity to explore and understand human consciousness in new ways—but they also challenge established power structures and societal norms.

To meaningfully and fairly integrate them, we must be open to new approaches and move away from models that focus solely on centralized control and regulation. By promoting decentralization through shared regulation, education, and respect for individual rights, we can help ensure that the use of consciousness-expanding substances becomes a source of both personal and collective growth, insight and freedom.

© Pvit 2024

A New Space for Well-Being: Why Psilocybin Deserves a Legal Place Outside the Healthcare System

Changing perspectives on quality of life open the doors to new innovative opportunities in a time characterized by groundbreaking transformation.

By Nikolai Bakke, Safety Facilitator at Project Pvit
Oslo, June 3, 2024

The natural substance psilocybin has traditionally been shown to be effective against a number of life challenges that often fall outside the scope of traditional healthcare. This includes existential crises, loss of hope, prolonged grief, negative thinking and general anxiety.

Based on this, Pvit suggests that the regulation of psilocybin should be expanded to allow a preventive approach from various licensed stakeholders at different levels, including outside the healthcare system.

It is high time to think differently—and bigger—when it comes to well-being, personal development and quality of life. The reintroduction of psilocybin as a regulated substance in this decade is an important step in the right direction.

Psilocybin has deep historical roots and has been used by various cultures for thousands of years in spiritual, cultural and medicinal ceremonies. In the West it has been actively used for many decades by individuals in the underground among peers for joy, personal development and increased quality of life.

Steadily increasing cases of sick leave linked to mental disorders have become a significant social problem with major economic consequences. Increased strain on the healthcare system, especially with regard to the aging population and general capacity challenges, reinforces the need for innovative solutions.

Regulation of psilocybin for use outside the traditional healthcare system could be one such solution that could relieve the pressured system and generate significant cost savings for society.

Potential arenas for offering psilocybin in regulated forms outside the healthcare system include a wide range of entities, for example, the Church of Norway, mosques, the Human-Ethical Association, the Norwegian Tourist Association or other organizations that work with existential questions, hope and community connections.

Furthermore, this may also include the creation of entirely new entities, inspired by the model implemented in Oregon and Colorado. These newer approaches largely avoid historical power imbalances, often seen with state institutions and religious groups, by facilitating interactions between licensed providers and screened travelers on more equal and inclusive terms.

In light of the above discussion, it is important to carefully consider which approaches should be taken when it comes to regulating and making psilocybin available outside the healthcare system. Repeating the mistakes of the medicalization and profit-focused approach to the treatment of mental disorders, which in the past led to unfortunate and sub-optimal results with regular antidepressants, should be avoided.

Psilocybin is not a simple panacea for the major challenges we face today. We are confronted with structural dilemmas such as rapid technological development, climate challenges and growing economic inequalities. Solving these complex issues requires holistic approaches that go far beyond the use of psilocybin.

Nevertheless, psilocybin carries a promise of hope for those who want new perspectives on quality of life in regulated forms in a new era. Over the centuries, it has been a source of transformation and insight, guided by cultural and spiritual traditions. Let’s embrace this community potential and explore new ways to support each other on our journey towards a better future for us and our planet.

© Pvit 2024

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Viktig informasjon --- Innholdet på disse nettsidene er ment som inspirasjon og kunnskapsdeling – ikke som erstatning for medisinsk rådgivning eller psykisk helsehjelp. Dersom du har spørsmål knyttet til helse, anbefaler vi at du snakker med kvalifisert helsepersonell som kan gi deg støtte og veiledning tilpasset din situasjon.

Psilocybin er i dag klassifisert som et ulovlig narkotisk stoff i Norge. Likevel finnes det mange mennesker som ønsker å utforske stoffet på en trygg og meningsfull måte. Pvit jobber derfor for å fremme en ansvarlig og regulert tilnærming utenfor helsevesenet – der individuelle behov og valg får rom, uten krav om diagnose.