{"id":25604,"date":"2023-07-01T03:34:32","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T07:34:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=25604"},"modified":"2023-07-01T03:34:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-01T07:34:32","slug":"australia-legalises-psychedelics-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/07\/01\/australia-legalises-psychedelics-for-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia legalises psychedelics for mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\"><b class=\"ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Australia has become the first country in the world to legalise the use of psychedelics to treat some mental health conditions.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Approved psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA to those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and magic mushrooms for some types of depression.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The controversial move has been hailed as a game-changer by many scientists and mental health experts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">However, others say the move has been too hasty and should not be over-hyped.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Experts say there is still the risk of a &#8220;bad trip&#8221;, which is when the user has an unpleasant experience while under the influence of drugs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">And the therapy comes at a cost, with Australian media reporting one course could cost tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">MDMA &#8211; also known as the party drug ecstasy &#8211; is a synthetic drug that acts as a hallucinogen. It increases the user&#8217;s energy levels, sensory experiences and distorts their sense of time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Magic mushrooms, which grow naturally, also have hallucinogenic effects due to the active compound psilocybin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">While Australia is the first country in the world to regulate the drugs as medications, clinical trials are also underway in the US, Canada and Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Under the new regulations which became official in Australia on 1 July, approved psychiatrists can prescribe MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psilocybin for depression that has resisted other treatments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5f7ft-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-australia-66049989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia begins world-first MDMA therapy for PTSD<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-56997013\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MDMA could help trauma survivors face memories<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1no5rhv0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-56373202\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Psychedelic therapy could &#8216;reset&#8217; depressed brain<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Use of the psychedelics would be carefully monitored and not a case of &#8220;take a pill and go away&#8221;, said Dr Mike Musker, a mental health researcher at the University of South Australia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Describing the move as a &#8220;game-changer&#8221;, he told AFP news agency that, in the case of MDMA for example, the patient would likely have three treatments over five to eight weeks. Each treatment would last about eight hours, with the therapist staying with the patient the whole time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Patients should not expect a miracle cure, however.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;I have read about stories where people have had what you call bad trips, or actually they&#8217;ve re-experienced their trauma, and so we&#8217;ve got to take great caution,&#8221; Dr Musker said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Professor Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Melbourne&#8217;s Swinburne University said that while psychedelics certainly had the potential for therapeutic use, the move had come about too quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">&#8220;When you look at interventions&#8230; for any other kind of disease, whether it&#8217;s cardiovascular disease or cancer, you cannot get a drug to market as quickly as this has been done,&#8221; she told AFP.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Prof Rossell, who is leading Australia&#8217;s biggest trial on the effects of psilocybin on depression, added that more research was needed to determine the long-term outcomes of the therapy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">Australia&#8217;s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) shocked many in the medical and science world in February when it reclassified MDMA and psilocybin so they could be used for therapeutic purposes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">It declared the drugs &#8220;relatively safe&#8221; when used in a &#8220;medically-controlled environment&#8221; for patients &#8220;with serious mental health conditions&#8221;. Otherwise, both MDMA and psilocybin are illegal in Australia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The TGA acknowledges that there are unknowns and inconclusive evidence, but says &#8220;there are promising signs&#8221; that controlled therapeutic use of the drugs may improve mental health for some people and that the &#8220;benefits for some patients&#8230; will outweigh the risks&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00\">The regulator says there are currently no approved products that contain MDMA or psilocybin. However the reclassification means psychiatrists will be able to access and legally supply certain medicines that contain them, even if they have not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-australia-66072427\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Australia has become the first country in the world to legalise the use of psychedelics to treat some mental health conditions. Approved psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA to those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and magic <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/07\/01\/australia-legalises-psychedelics-for-mental-health\/\" title=\"Australia legalises psychedelics for mental health\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[350,109,2,6],"tags":[819,1145,2719,248,6220,662,2389,9563,9562,2621],"class_list":{"0":"post-25604","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"category-headline","9":"category-news","10":"category-world","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-depression","13":"tag-drug-use","14":"tag-ecstasy","15":"tag-magic-mushrooms","16":"tag-mdma","17":"tag-mental-health","18":"tag-post-traumatic-stress-disorder","19":"tag-psilocybin","20":"tag-ptsd","21":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25604"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25607,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25604\/revisions\/25607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}