In a controversial move, Australia will become the world’s first country to allow the drugs psilocybin and MDMA to be prescribed by doctors to treat psychiatric conditions including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
MDMA is widely known as the party drug ecstasy, and psilocybin is the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Nations including the United States, Canada and Israel allow individual use of these drugs on compassionate grounds or in clinical trials, but on 1 July Australia will be the first to regulate the drugs as medications, to be prescribed by approved psychiatrists.
Psychiatrists will prescribe the drugs using the TGA’s Authorised Prescriber Scheme, which allows registered psychiatrists to prescribe medicines that have yet to be formally included on Australia’s register of therapeutic goods.
The TGA says that doctors who prescribe MDMA and psilocybin must follow a code of conduct published by the Medical Board of Australia.
SMMRY
approved psychiatrists.
How many of those will there be?
And how many chemists will hold stock? Who even sells it legally?
From my understanding you wont get a prescription that you take to your chemist, but rather guided therapy sessions while under the influence.
I just heard interview on radio.
Therapist applies with the technique of their research, it is reviewed, if approved the therapist gets a piece of paper to proscribe. It’s not cheap, 2 therapists have to present at all times, and sessions can be 8 hours plus prior and posts sessions.
Heard it on ABC.
I’m guessing you also have to spring for their tickets to the rave/doof/club event as part of the package?
Yeah, 3 tickets and some pills for the other therapists. Then the drinks for the comedown, maybe some weed to take the edge off.
Hopefully a step in the right direction towards a more sensible approach to drugs overall.
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Posting in from Mastodon? Everyone take note. Federation!
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I won’t get the notifications from the @ but I do get the notification of a reply.
wait…we can post from mastodon? i am new to both mastodon and lemmy. do youknow if there’s a “step by step for old people” kinda page?
There probably is.
I have a slight guide to it in this thread under Mastodon Tips.
awesome, cheers
Yeah what does it say when most of the US has legal weed but half of it doesn’t have abortion access and a decent chunk is trying to restrict contraceptives
@macrocephalic yeah, but the US isn’t really a great yardstick to measure off… hyper partisanship is really screwing that country around
Hopefully it’s a sign of change of sentiment towards drugs. Laws that are more science based than anything else. I hope.
Not exactly a world first…
MDMA was an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication in the 60’s. It was only when people started abusing it, it became a scheduled drug.
Edit: In America, anyways…
I used to self administer psilocybin to cope with my debilitating boredom years ago.
It isn’t often I’m proud of my country, but occasionally something good happens. This is one of those occasions. Go, Australia.
It’s happening!
Sounds unusually progressive of Australia
Don’t ask about Cannabis.
❤️🙏
