Australia is first country to allow psychedelics to treat PTSD and depression
Commencing today, beginning on the first day of July, 2023, Australia has now authorized medical professionals to prescribe MDMA and hallucinogenic fungi to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
It is an unprecedented achievement on a global scale, as studies reveal the genuine capacity of hallucinogenic substances to address mental health disorders.
“Australia is creating an interesting model that could pave the way forward for the rest of the world,” a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School named Dr. Michael Alpert, said to ABC News.
MDMA is an artificial mind-altering substance, frequently associated with rave events, which is also called “molly” or “ecstasy.”
As per the latest regulations set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia, exclusively authorized psychiatrists have the ability to prescribe MDMA solely for the purpose of treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Psilocybin, the active substance found in hallucinogenic fungi, will solely be recommended to remedy depression that has not shown improvement through alternative treatments.
An extensive and expanding collection of medicinal and scientific proof endorses the utilization of hallucinogens for psychological ailments.
According to the journal Nature, a recent clinical study in 2021 demonstrated that individuals suffering from PTSD who underwent psychotherapy alongside MDMA treatment had a twofold higher chance of recuperation compared to those who received psychotherapy with a fake treatment.
Money follows where the science goes:
A billionaire who manages hedge funds and possesses the New York Mets, Steve Cohen, recently provided a sum of $5 million to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). This donation is aimed at supporting their endeavors in advocating for the legal acceptance of the medicinal applications of mind-altering substances.
“The market for psychedelic substances is projected to grow … to $10.75 billion by 2027, a growth rate that may even outpace the legal US cannabis market,” authors noted in an editorial for JAMA Psychiatry.
“It’s a pretty hot area,” medicinal chemistry associate professor of at the Western Australia University Matthew Piggott said to the Washington Post.
Nevertheless, it might prove exceedingly hot for certain experts.
“Such decisions short circuit the clinical trials process itself and undermine the whole principle of evidence-based medicine,” a senior clinical lecturer for King’s College London and a consultant psychiatrist named Dr. James Rucker informed Medical News Today.
Rucker said that “if this is not managed by skilled psychological support practitioners it can lead to a worsening of someone’s condition. This is a slippery slope and a dangerous precedent, I fear.”
“Those of us … doing this research can see how there are going to be very few guardrails in place,” Dr. Paul Liknaitzky, Melbourne’s Monash University’s head of clinical psychedelic research stated to the Washington Post.
“The safety and quality of what is provided is going to depend in large part on the goodwill and competence of the providers, not on authorities and governance,” Liknaitzky added.
The entire globe, particularly the United States, will be attentively observing as Australia transforms into a countrywide experimental trial in hallucinogenic treatments.
Numerous urban areas and regions in the United States have relaxed limitations concerning mind-altering substances in the past few years. In 2019, Denver made psilocybin non-criminal, and the state of Oregon did the same one year afterward.
Facilities possessing specific training certifications are now permitted to provide psilocybin treatments in both Oregon and Colorado.
Several industry professionals anticipate that the United States will approve a form of mind-altering treatment in the near future, potentially in a matter of months rather than years.
Maps, the organization that carried out the 2021 experiment, plans to request the endorsement of MDMA from the Food and Drug Administration once its latest studies are released during the upcoming months.
Rick Doblin, creator and head manager of MAPS, holds the view that Australia, by assuming a leading role, will assist in expediting the authorization procedure in other nations, TIME Magazine reported.
“It’s going to help regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere feel more comfortable,” Doblin informed TIME Magazine. “Regulators don’t like to be the first or the only ones.”
Meanwhile in Australia, nicotine vape product sales are illegal in the nation. Its government ordered the country’s customs and border patrol to divert officials attention away from seizing guns and drugs being smuggled in and instead to focus on seizing nicotine vape products. The nicotine vape ban has also created a vaping black market in the country that sells to children.
📢📰ABF Play Vapes Vs Deadly Drugs
– by Pippa StarrAs of 2022, Australian Border Force have 5968 employees across 70 locations to protect Australia's Borderline that stretches 34000 kilometres.
If they all worked 24/7 that would mean each employee would be protecting… https://t.co/StTa31hXSW
— 𝙿𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚊’𝚜 𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎 (@LivePippas) June 25, 2023
