Katie Hunt
Jun 30, 2023
Advocates hope that psychedelic drugs, such as MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine, may be able to treat a wide range of mental health conditions. Psilocybin is the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms.
Australia is set to become the first country in the world to legalize clinical prescribing of MDMA, better known as ecstasy, and psilocybin — the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms — for certain mental health disorders.
Starting July 1, authorized psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, according to a February news release. Both drugs are otherwise illegal in Australia.
“Psilocybin and MDMA are relatively safe when used in a medically controlled setting under the supervision of appropriately trained healthcare professionals and in the dosages that have been studied in clinical trials,” said Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA, when announcing the move.