New Zealand approves use of party drug MDMA to treat trauma
Two psychiatrists in New Zealand won approval Friday to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to people with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
New Zealand has granted approval for the use of MDMA in treating severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), making it only the second country globally to permit the use of the party drug for this purpose. The decision was made by New Zealand's pharmaceutical regulatory body, Medsafe, following Australia's approval in 2023. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour emphasized that PTSD is a debilitating condition to live with and difficult to treat.
He pointed out that MDMA can be highly effective in treating PTSD through psychedelic-assisted therapy. Seymour highlighted New Zealand's commitment to making innovative treatments accessible. MDMA, a synthetic drug acting as both a stimulant and a psychedelic, produces energizing effects, emotional warmth, and altered perception of time.
Commonly known as ecstasy or molly, it is widely used without medical supervision. PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after exposure to traumatic events like death, combat, or sexual assault. Current pharmaceutical treatments for PTSD in the United States involve two antidepressants that require months of dosing with variable response rates.
However, a recent Israeli study showed that MDMA taken by trauma survivors at music festivals helped mitigate the impact of their experiences. The Ministry of Health in Wellington clarified that MDMA-assisted treatment would be administered under controlled clinical conditions with psychotherapy, and patients would not be provided drugs to take home.
Treatment would be reserved for individuals aged 18 or older and integrated into a comprehensive treatment plan.
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