As Australia became the first country in the world to classify psychedelics as medicines last week, major health organisations have urged caution, even as some experts and patients have hailed the landmark moment. The decision, which follows the medicines regulator, earlier this year, approving the use of psychedelics to assist therapy sessions, will see psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, being used for treatment-resistant depression, and also allow MDMA, known as ecstasy in tablet form, for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment.
The BBC reports that Professor David Nutt, head of neuropsychopharmacology at the UK’s Imperial College, congratulated Australia on “leading the world in this vital treatment innovation”, while psychedelic researcher and psychiatrist Dr Ben Sessa described the approval as pioneering. “This is where the global psychedelic spotlight now shines,” he said .....more
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