Global Courant
SYDNEY – Australia on Saturday became one of the first countries in the world to allow the use of MDMA and magic mushrooms for medical treatment, in an effort to address certain mental illnesses.
From July 1, licensed psychiatrists may prescribe the drugs, also known as ecstasy and psilocybin respectively, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and some forms of depression.
Authorities in Canada and the United States allow the medical use of one or both drugs, but only in clinical trials or with special licensing.
In February, Australia completely reclassified the drug after the country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration said trials showed the substances were “relatively safe” when used in a “medically controlled environment.”
Supporters of the move hope the drugs could provide breakthroughs for mental health patients when other treatments have failed.
Dr. Mike Musker, a mental health and suicide prevention researcher at the University of South Australia, told AFP that MDMA would be useful for treating post-traumatic stress, while psilocybin could help with depression.
He explained that MDMA “gives people a sense of belonging and makes it easier for people to connect with a therapist and also talk about bad personal experiences.”
Psilocybin gives patients a “psycho-spiritual effect that you wouldn’t get with traditional drugs,” he said, adding that this “might make you feel different about yourself and your life… life.”
Dr. Musker doubts the drugs will be widely used by patients until 2024, saying the trial would not be a case of “take a pill and go.”
For example, MDMA would likely involve three treatments over five to eight weeks, with each session lasting about eight hours.
He said therapists would stay with patients while they get the drugs during sessions that could cost close to A$1,000 (S$906) each.
‘Lack of options’
Dr. David Caldicott, an emergency medicine consultant and clinical drug researcher at the Australian National University, told AFP the changes give Australia “a big head start” in exploring the medicinal benefits of the drugs.
But Dr Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Swinburne University, said that while the treatments “have potential”, Australia is “advancing five years earlier than it should”.
She told AFP: “If you look at interventions… for any other disease, whether it’s cardiovascular disease or cancer, you can’t get a drug to market as quickly as this has been done.
“There are no drugs on the market that don’t have phase three and phase four clinical trials — and that’s what we’re doing here.”
