The Nordic Model
Norway became the first country to approve national public reimbursement for generic ketamine treatment. This is how we built the clinical infrastructure that made it possible.
In August 2025, Norway became the first country in the world to approve national public reimbursement for ketamine treatment of depression. This did not happen by accident. It was the result of a decade of clinical practice, research collaboration between private clinics and public hospitals, and careful advocacy within existing regulatory frameworks.
I present the Nordic model as a pragmatic template for psychedelic medicine integration: private innovation establishing safety data, public-private research partnerships building the evidence base, and regulatory dialogue leading to systemic adoption. This is how Norway went from zero ketamine clinics in 2017 to a national treatment programme in 2025.
The talk covers practical lessons for other jurisdictions: what worked, what we would do differently, and what the Swedish expansion in 2026 will test about the model's scalability.
Talks
National Implementation of Ketamine Treatment for Depression in Norway
In autumn 2025, Norway became the first country in the world to reimburse racemic ketamine for depression on a national level. Lowan tells how and why it happened, and what other countries can learn from the process of building the infrastructure for psychedelic-assisted therapies. Event: https://www.sataip.ee/conference/speakers
Ketamine: Treating depression and addiction
Research update and reflections on the psychedelic field
From TMS to Psychedelics: Building Europe's Interventional Psychiatry Future
Panel on the evolution of interventional psychiatry, from neuromodulation approaches such as TMS to emerging psychedelic-assisted therapies, and what is required for clinical adoption, regulation, and system integration in Europe. Moderated by Josh Hardman (Psychedelic Alpha), with Kathy Xiang (COMPASS Pathways) and Dr James Stefaniak (North London NHS Foundation Trust). Event: https://www.thereal.events/london-2026
European Forum of National Psychedelic Societies
Guest speaker at PAREA's closed, invitation-only forum bringing together national psychedelic-society representatives from across Europe, focused on early access pathways, regulation, and implementation within public healthcare systems. Lowan contributed on Norway's nationwide public reimbursement of ketamine treatment and implementing access in public healthcare. Event: https://parea.eu/events/forum-2026
Publications
Ketamin ved depresjon - evidens og forslag til praksis
Ketamine in treatment-resistant depression
Epidemiology of classic psychedelic substances: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample
Transforming treatment-resistant depression care in Norway: Public health reimbursement for off-label intravenous ketamine
Media
Først i verden: Psykedelisk medisin godkjent i Norge
Milepæl i depresjonsbehandling
Ketamine: Treating depression and addiction (Nordic Reform Conference 2019)
Norway becomes the first country to publicly fund generic ketamine for depression
Signed article by Lowan Stewart on Norway becoming the first country to introduce public reimbursement for generic ketamine in treatment-resistant depression, and how a coordinated public treatment model combining medication and psychotherapy was built.
Hvordan formidle om nye behandlingsmetoder
Op-ed co-authored by Lowan Stewart and Lars Lien on how to communicate responsibly about new treatments such as ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, and the role of patient narratives alongside clinical evidence.
Nytt verktøy i kampen mot selvmord
Feature on ketamine being approved as public treatment for acute suicidality in Norway, told through one patient's course of treatment. Lowan Stewart is interviewed. Paywalled.
SUS tester ketamin mot alvorlig depresjon
Feature on Stavanger University Hospital's clinical trial of ketamine for severe depression. Lowan Stewart is interviewed on how ketamine treatment is delivered in Norway. Paywalled.
Paving the Way with Ketamine in Norway
Short interview clip from Drugreporter's documentary on PAREA's European Forum of National Psychedelic Societies in Brussels, May 2026. Lowan Stewart, co-founder of the Norwegian Association for Psychedelic Science, on how Norway established public ketamine treatment.