MDMA in FDA-Approved Clinical Trial

MDMA, also known as “molly,” as “ecstasy,” and as a popular club drug, has been undergoing clinical trials to assess its effectiveness in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Current clinical trials have been so successful that MDMA—a drug that “has been illegal in the US since the ‘80s”—could be legalized for medical use by 2021 (Wilkerson, 2016). MDMA would be used in conjunction with therapy to help sufferers of PTSD such as war veterans and rape victims. Patients would take the drug and be led through their traumatic memories by a trained therapist. According to Veteran Army Medic James Casey, “MDMA was like armor that I put all over my body so that I could dive into the darkness of my PTSD and then come back unscathed” (Wilkerson, 2016). 

The FDA-approved clinical trial that could potentially legalize MDMA as a PTSD treatment is in its third and final stage. Thus far, researchers have found that 83 percent of patients have been cured of their PTSD—this is over triple the success rate of other studies (Wilkerson, 2016). 

Wilkerson, M. (2016). MDMA could be legal for medical use by 2021. Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/mdma-could-be-legal-medical-use-2021