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Abstract: 

Fifty years into the War on Drugs, there is widespread recognition that using the legal system to wage war on addiction was not only an ineffective approach, but a dangerous one. According to Christina Couch, science writer at MIT, drug policies can be more dangerous than the drugs they regulate. Laws criminalizing MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also commonly known as Ecstasy and Molly), for example, were based on what has subsequently been debunked as bad science. This article examines the history of MDMA as a treatment for PTSD and other mental illnesses, its classification by the DEA as a Schedule I drug in spite of expert testimony against doing so, its potential for treating individuals suffering from trauma, depression, phobias, and other serious mental illnesses, and pilot programs within mental health systems for expanded treatment options that include the use of MDMA.

Keywords: Therapeutic Use of MDMA

Affiliations:  1: Associate Editor.