2024 was supposed to be the year MDMA, perhaps known as “ecstasy” or “molly,” got its big break.
Until this summer, it was on its way out of the underground and into mainstream mental health care. Amidst the lack of novel treatments for PTSD and the staggering rate of suicide experienced, the results of late-stage clinical trials appeared promising and advocates were hopeful that the FDA would approve the drug for treatment use.
Then, an FDA advisory panel raised red flags about trial methodology, bias and potential data suppression, which could harm the future of medicinal MDMA. Now, the psychedelic drug is at a make-or-break point, with the FDA making an announcement this month on whether it’s ready to move forward as a PTSD treatment.
In a three-part series, Today, explained Halima Shah reports on the promise and accuracy of MDMA. Beginning in the 1980s with rogue chemists and therapists who believed it could replace psychotherapy, the series traces the decades-long effort to medicalize a dancefloor drug, journeying through the War on Drugs, the rave era and the psychedelic renaissance to explain how by doing A once-harmful drug has become a symbol of healing—and how, regardless of what the FDA decides, therapy will never be the same.
Listen to the first episode below or wherever you find the podcast. The second and third episodes of the series are scheduled to be released on Friday, August 2 and Thursday, August 8.
