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The Dutch government should allow treatment with ecstasy chemical MDMA for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an advisory body set up to look at the issue has recommended.
“The government must act expeditiously to enable the therapeutic use of MDMA,” the statement from the state commission read.
But it said there can be “no question” of legalizing it for recreational use “as long as there is no certainty about reducing crime and the possibilities for regulation have not yet been worked out in concrete terms.”
The recommendation comes hot on the heels of an opposing position this week in the U.S., where advisers to the U.S. drugs regulator said ecstasy, when combined with therapy, is not an effective treatment for PTSD and its use puts patients at risk of serious side effects.
Last year, the Dutch government established a state commission comprised of experts from psychiatry, medicine, criminology, prevention and law to investigate the risks and benefits of MDMA, including its potential medical use.
Its findings, released today, say that “with what is currently known, there appears to be sufficient scientific evidence for the effectiveness and safety of this form of therapy.”
“It is possible that MDMA as a therapy-supporting medication can help, especially for mental health patients who have been dealing with their problems for years and have not been helped by the current range of therapies,” Health Minister Pia Dijkstra said.
“However, more scientific, clinical research needs to be done.”
The new right-wing coalition government, which is in the process of being formed, will present a full policy response to the report in the fall.
Medical interest in psychedelics to treat mental health disorders has been growing, in areas including treatment-resistant depression and alcohol use disorder. MDMA and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, are most advanced in their clinical development.
