Australia has become the first country in the world to legalize the use of psychedelics to treat some mental health conditions, according to a report from BBC. Approved psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin mushrooms for some types of depression.
The decision has garnered significant responses from experts on both sides of the issue. Some say there is still a need for more research, pointing to the risk of an unpleasant experience for the patient while under the influence of psychedelic drugs and that the therapy could be too expensive, while others are hailing it as a game changer in treating mental health conditions.
Under the new regulations, approved psychiatrists can prescribe MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for depression that has resisted other treatments. There are currently no approved products that contain MDMA or psilocybin. However, the reclassification means psychiatrists will be able to access and legally supply certain medicines that contain them, even if they have not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness. While Australia is the first country in the world to regulate these psychedelic drugs as medications, clinical trials are also underway in the U.S., Canada and Israel.
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Use of the psychedelics would be carefully monitored, according to Mike Musker, a mental health researcher at the University of South Australia. He told Agence France-Presse that in the case of MDMA, the patient would likely have three treatments over five to eight weeks. Each treatment would last about eight hours, with the therapist staying with the patient the whole time.
Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) declared the drugs "relatively safe" when used in a "medically-controlled environment" for patients "with serious mental health conditions." Otherwise, both MDMA and psilocybin are illegal in Australia.
The TGA acknowledges that there are unknowns and inconclusive evidence, but says "there are promising signs" that controlled therapeutic use of the drugs may improve mental health for some people and that the "benefits for some patients... will outweigh the risks," according to the BBC report.
