15 ms·

I've been hearing about this for a long time - probably since the late 1990s, so I'm surprised to see that it seems only in the last couple of years that there

I've been hearing about this for a long time - probably since the late 1990s, so I'm surprised to see that it seems only in the last couple of years that there are phase three trials. I would imagine that the safety profile of MDMA is already well understood / fairly well researched in the 1950s and 1960s

johndhi 3y ago
Not really. Research almost entirely paused until the last few years.
- singingfish 3y ago
  aah research impeded by morality police, understand now, thanks
  - Alupis 3y ago
    That may not necessarily be the reason. It could simply be until recently nobody believed there could be positive medical uses for MDMA specifically. Not all recreational drugs have legitimate medical uses, or are better than existing medically prescribed drugs. After our current opioid crisis, it's not unreasonable to assume research on opioid medical usage will decline or stop - outside what has already been studied, for example.
    - theptip 3y ago
      No, the war on drugs was definitely the reason, and it was stated as such at the time. They were doing PTSD research with veterans in the 70s and the feds shut it down even though it was clearly promising.
    - tmpX7dMeXU 3y ago
      Hah. People have believed in this for some time. MAPS has been around for a while. What you mean is, not the right people, and now we are back to morality policing.
samdcbu 3y ago
MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck. Merck and US Army did several animal trials in the 1950s, but by the end of the decade MDMA was shelved and thought to have no therapeutic benefit. It wasn’t until Sasha Shulgin rediscovered it in 1976 that its therapeutic benefits were discovered, at which point therapists and psychiatrists began quietly using it for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. In July 1984 the DEA proposed making MDMA a Schedule I controlled substances, which led to outcry from practitioners who requested the DEA hold hearings to provide testimony on MDMA’s therapeutic benefits. While these hearings were ongoing, the DEA used its emergency scheduling authority in May of 1985 to place MDMA in Schedule I. Animal efficacy and human safety trials of MDMA began in the late 1980s, and the first FDA-approved, placebo controlled, double blind phase I study was published in 1996.

johndhi 3y ago

Not really. Research almost entirely paused until the last few years.

singingfish 3y ago
aah research impeded by morality police, understand now, thanks
- Alupis 3y ago
  That may not necessarily be the reason. It could simply be until recently nobody believed there could be positive medical uses for MDMA specifically. Not all recreational drugs have legitimate medical uses, or are better than existing medically prescribed drugs. After our current opioid crisis, it's not unreasonable to assume research on opioid medical usage will decline or stop - outside what has already been studied, for example.
  - theptip 3y ago
    No, the war on drugs was definitely the reason, and it was stated as such at the time. They were doing PTSD research with veterans in the 70s and the feds shut it down even though it was clearly promising.
  - tmpX7dMeXU 3y ago
    Hah. People have believed in this for some time. MAPS has been around for a while. What you mean is, not the right people, and now we are back to morality policing.

samdcbu 3y ago

MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck. Merck and US Army did several animal trials in the 1950s, but by the end of the decade MDMA was shelved and thought to have no therapeutic benefit. It wasn’t until Sasha Shulgin rediscovered it in 1976 that its therapeutic benefits were discovered, at which point therapists and psychiatrists began quietly using it for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. In July 1984 the DEA proposed making MDMA a Schedule I controlled substances, which led to outcry from practitioners who requested the DEA hold hearings to provide testimony on MDMA’s therapeutic benefits. While these hearings were ongoing, the DEA used its emergency scheduling authority in May of 1985 to place MDMA in Schedule I. Animal efficacy and human safety trials of MDMA began in the late 1980s, and the first FDA-approved, placebo controlled, double blind phase I study was published in 1996.