Via Drudge: One of the main targets in the war on drugs could well become a drug to treat the scars of war. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as the illegal drug ecstasy, a "breakthrough therapy" for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a status that may lead to faster approval.
The agency has also approved the design for two phase III studies of MDMA for PTSD that would be funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit in Santa Cruz, California. MAPS announced the "breakthrough therapy" designation, made by FDA on 16 August, on its website today; if the group can find the money for the trials, which together could cost an estimated $25 million, they may start next spring and finish by 2021.
That an illegal dancefloor drug could become a promising pharmaceutical is another indication that the efforts of a dedicated group of researchers interested in the medicinal properties of mind-altering drugs is paying dividends. Stringent drug laws have stymied research on these compounds for decades. "This is not a big scientific step," says David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London. "It’s been obvious for 40 years that these drugs are medicines. But it’s a huge step in acceptance."
The agency has also approved the design for two phase III studies of MDMA for PTSD that would be funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit in Santa Cruz, California. MAPS announced the "breakthrough therapy" designation, made by FDA on 16 August, on its website today; if the group can find the money for the trials, which together could cost an estimated $25 million, they may start next spring and finish by 2021.
That an illegal dancefloor drug could become a promising pharmaceutical is another indication that the efforts of a dedicated group of researchers interested in the medicinal properties of mind-altering drugs is paying dividends. Stringent drug laws have stymied research on these compounds for decades. "This is not a big scientific step," says David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London. "It’s been obvious for 40 years that these drugs are medicines. But it’s a huge step in acceptance."
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4 comments:
A main ingredient of MDMA is saffrol oil. It is derived mainly from the sassafras tree. Root beer used to be made from Sassafras bark. The FDA banned it in the early sixties because if you fed several tons of it to a rat it might develop cancer. You'd think they'd at least have kept it on as rat poison. Root beer is now made with wintergreen oil which is why it tastes like toothpaste. Sassafras bark was also prepared as a tea and a tonic. It makes sense that the tonic had feel good properties. It's good to see that there is research into the therapeutic usage of MDMA.
LSD was initially used for psycholocical therapy. Famous early users were Cary Grant, Henry Luce, the head of Time Life, and his wife Claire Boothe Luce, the author. LSD wasn't banned until it became a recreational drug in the sixties. I understand it is also making a research comeback.
Don't put money on it.
How cool would it be to get some sassafras bark LSD?
Having suffered PTSD, I think people w/ documented PTSD should be able to try this under medical supervision.
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