The Case for MDMA’s Approval Is Riddled With Problems
WiredJUN 13 2024
Study: Psychedelics May Have Protected Nova Festival Survivors From Trauma
Above: People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout, and features destroyed items from the Nova festival site on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Image copyright: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
This study shows what combat veterans have long known. Besides the clinical evidence, individuals have spoken about how MDMA helped them survive that day, including helping one to boost decisiveness to save his girlfriend and another to process trauma afterward. Unfortunately, health bodies like the US FDA are blocking approval for widespread treatment. All mental health patients, not just study participants, deserve access to MDMA.
Narrative B
While MDMA therapy's success for Israeli survivors is promising, this issue highlights not only a mainstream health establishment problem but an Israel-specific disparity. Palestinians in Israel, who also face trauma and limited healthcare access, deserve equal PTSD care. With Gaza's crisis leaving lasting scars, the study's model should extend to all victims, not just Israelis.
Narrative C
Despite MDMA's anecdotal success in easing PTSD symptoms, its efficacy as a mainstream treatment remains unproven. The FDA has only approved sertraline and paroxetine for a reason, and while many still seek the drug when these fall short, there simply isn't enough evidence to prescribe it on a large scale. It should only be approved once the issues of biased data and lack of lasting benefits or safety are addressed.