Psilocybin and MDMA, commonly known as magic mushrooms and ecstasy, have been downgraded from prohibited drugs to controlled drugs in Australia.
The new laws came in on the first of July, making Australia the first country to regulate the therapeutic use of MDMA and Psilocybin.
So, who will be eligible for treatment? How can these drugs be accessed?
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On today’s episode of This Arvo In Sydney, we talked to Professor Richard Harvey, Chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, to find out what the psychedelic market could look like in five to 10 years.
Therapeutic goods administration (TGA) approved using MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
The scientists say the drugs dampen the activity of the amygdala and help patients to revisit and process terrifying or painful memories more comfortably.
It’s not really quite like other drugs where you give the drug, and it’s the drug that makes the patient better,”
Professor Harvey said.
In this situation, it’s the limited use of a substance to enable the patient to really, very actively engage in quite intense psychotherapy,”
he said.
Before accessing the medicine, patients are required to undergo several sessions to prepare them for the substance.
He said patients could not obtain the drug from a retail pharmacy and take it home. Instead, a pharmacist would take care of them in a “hospital-like” environment.
Rodney Cox, the operator of Vitu Health, was surprised by this progress and said his patients were deriving exceptional benefits from these therapies.
We talked to doctors now that would never have considered prescribing medicinal cannabis 18, 24 months ago, that are now large prescribers of it.”
Hosted by Sacha Barbour, This Arvo in Sydney is a 10 to 12 minute daily news podcast made just for Sydney! Listen now on the Listnr app.