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A B.C. doctor has been reprimanded for treating an employee with the party drug ecstasy.

According to a Feb. 27 College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. decision, Vancouver Island-based family doctor Paul Michael Harris treated an employee over a six-month period using "non-conventional therapies."

The decision says between October 2020 and April 2021, Harris prescribed medication to an employee without documenting it and then used hypnosis as a treatment. It doesn't say what the medication was or why Harris was prescribing it.

"In addition, he participated in the use of non-approved substances, specifically psilocybin and MDMA, which were administered by a non-physician as a form of therapy," the decision reads. Psilocybin is the psychoactive component of "magic mushrooms" and MDMA is more commonly known as ecstasy or molly.

Harris graduated from medical school in South Africa in 1989 and is registered as working at the Phoenix Transformations opioid use disorder clinic in Duncan.

He signed a consent agreement with the regulator admitting to the conduct.

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The decision says Harris' licence has now been downgraded to "conditional" status.

"(Harris) will comply with the College Standard, Treatment of Self, Family Members and Others Close to You and will not provide medical care or prescribe medication to staff or any person close to him," the regulator says. "This physician will document all patient-physician encounters and maintain office medical records to the standard expected of physicians in British Columbia and in accordance with the requirements."

The decision says Harris must refrain from participating with employees in the use of non-approved substances, specifically the use of psilocybin and MDMA.

"The Inquiry Committee was critical of (Harris') conduct and noted that the conduct was contrary to the College practice standards... the committee noted that by repeatedly contravening College practice standards, Dr. Harris placed the employee at risk, and therefore, a disciplinary outcome was appropriate," the decision reads.

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No other information is given in the decision.

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