One doctor's idea: Allow ecstasy to be bought OTC in pharmacies

Fewer people would die from drug overdoses if MDMA (ecstasy) was available over-the-counter, a Sydney doctor and drug reform advocate claims.

Regulating ecstasy and distributing it through pharmacies would reduce the number of deaths from impurities and uncertain doses, Dr Alex Wodak, the head of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation told the Today show.

Appropriately trained and supervised staff could manufacture ecstasy using “proper” processes, he told the show.

The products could be regularly tested, and harm-reduction information could be supplied when the drug was dispensed.

“You can’t prevent deaths completely. But if you reduce them a lot, that’s well worthwhile,” Dr Wodak said.

The St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney physician argued the idea wasn’t unprecedented, with cannabis now legal in Canada and 10 US states.

The AMA told 6minutes it supported wider community