Australia has become the first country to recognize psychedelics as medicines after the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the psychedelic substances in magic mushrooms and MDMA for use by people with certain mental health conditions.
The changes will allow MDMA to be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. According to the Sydney Herald, psychiatrists will need to be approved by the TGA’s authorized prescriber scheme in order to prescribe these drugs, and the TGA has not yet evaluated any approved products that contain psilocybin or MDMA. Stephen Bright, the director of the Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine charity, said the decision was unexpected given Australia’s conservative nature.
