The outgoing Czech government said Wednesday it had approved the use of psilocybin -- the active ingredient in magic mushrooms -- for medical purposes from 2026.

Several countries have recently legalised the use by psychiatrists of the naturally occurring hallucinogenic compound, including New Zealand this year.

Lawmakers in the Czech Republic -- an EU and NATO member of 10.9 million people -- legalised the use of psilocybin in May, in an amendment to the penal code which also eased the rules for marijuana possession.

The government decision, which sets the rules for the drug's use, allows psychiatrists and psychotherapists to administer psilocybin if "treatment by registered medical substances is inefficient or if intolerance is proven".

They can only use psilocybin to treat cancer-re

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