Bid to reschedule psilocybin and ecstasy for psychiatric therapy
A public consultation is now open on an application to relax the 'prohibited' status of the drugs
The TGA is considering a rescheduling application that would allow psychiatrists and addiction specialists to use the psychedelic substances psilocybin and MDMA (ecstasy) as therapy.
Both drugs are currently prohibited substances under Schedule 9 of the Poisons Standard, making them only accessible through the Special Access Scheme or in the context of clinical trials.
The charity and lobby group Mind Medicine Australia, however, is calling for the drugs to be rescheduled as Schedule 8 medicines so that psychiatrists can more easily offer them as therapies.
These would include MDMA-assisted therapies to treat PTSD and psilocybin-assisted therapies for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders outside of the research setting.
