Over the past two years, Australia, a country long known for its strict drug laws, has been allowing psychiatrists to treat post-traumatic stress disorder with MDMA, the chemical compound better known as Ecstasy or molly.
The early results have been striking, researchers say, with more than half of patients who received MDMA along with psychotherapy reporting significant relief from PTSD.
“Compared to conventional treatments, the outcomes we’re seeing to date with MDMA-assisted therapy have been extraordinary,” said Dr. Ranil Gunewardene, a psychiatrist in Sydney who has treated more than 40 patients since the Australian regulators created a legal pathway for the drug.
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Australia’s experimental program also allows psychiatrists to treat severe depression with psilocybin, the key active ingredient in “magic mushrooms.” Although illegal at the federal level in the United States, psilocybin is available at state-regulated clinics in Oregon and Colorado, with New Mexico to follow later this year.
