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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Donna Lu Science writer

Australian psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA and psilocybin: who can access them and how do they work?

Australia Scott Kelly Depression PTSD TGA
Psilocybe cubensis, known colloquially as psychedelic
Australia is the first country in the world to down-schedule psilocybin (pictured) and MDMA for clinical treatments. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

From July 1 psychiatrists in Australia will be able to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin for controlled clinical use. Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, announced the change in February.

MDMA – 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy – will be used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Psilocybin, a psychedelic that forms the active compound in magic mushrooms, will be able to be prescribed for treatment-resistant depression.

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