In late February, the drug MDMA – more commonly known as ecstasy – was legalised for medical use in Australia, the first country on earth to do so. From July, approved psychiatrists in Australia will be able to prescribe MDMA to patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
MDMA in the from of ecstasy pills: the most common way MDMA is sold and taken illegally (Photo: Flickr/Me)
Dr. Ben Sessa, a leading psychedelic researcher in the UK affiliated with Imperial College London, described the move as “a major step forward in the global psychedelic healthcare industry”.
The decision comes after decades of clinical trials and lobbying from various scientific institutions, with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) being at the forefront of this research.
In 2021, MAPS completed its first phase three clinical trial (a trial involving a large pool of test subjects), and the results were very encouraging.
The study found that 87% of people treated with MDMA had significant improvement in their PTSD, while 67% “no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis”. These results are groundbreaking and extremely promising for people who suffer from PTSD.
MDMA clinical treatment involves multiple sessions of counselling paired with a dose of MDMA (Photo: pexels/Alex Green)
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