Australian approval of MDMA and psilocybin a ‘baby step in the right direction’, medical experts say

Approved psychiatrists in Australia will be able to prescribe MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for depression from July. Photograph: Yarygin/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Psychiatrists have cautiously welcomed the ability to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin, saying it’s a “baby step in the right direction”.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration announced on Friday that, from July, approved psychiatrists would be able to prescribe MDMA (ecstasy) for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) for treatment-resistant depression.