The Blubber

Per Nature

Australia is now the first country ever to allow PTSD treatment to include MDMA and psilocybin drugs. However, some clinicians are sharing concerns about how drug regulations for these substances might not be enough.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the country's drug regulator, approved the decision, saying it followed a nearly three-year process. TGA's former head, John Skerritt, gave a statement regarding the decision.

Skerritt: “We were quite deliberate in not saying, ‘Here’s the clinical protocol.’ We’re not the regulators of clinical practice... It is quite likely that other groups, whether they be clinical professional groups or others, will release guidance around it.”

On July 1, Australia would be a step ahead of the US, Canada, and Israel, which allowed people to use drugs in clinical trials or on compassionate grounds. Swinburne University of Technology psychiatrist Susan Rosselle gave a statement regarding the treatment.

Rosselle: “It’s not for everybody. We need to work out who these people are that are going to have bad experiences, and not recommend it,”

In February, it was reported that Canada's British Columbia decriminalized owning 2.5 grams of illegal drugs for adults 18 and older. These include opioids, crack, meth, and MDMA.

In October, Biden pardoned prior federal offenses of weed possession.

See flow at unusualwhales.com/flow.

Other News:

• Canada's British Columbia Decriminalizes Owning 2.5 Grams of Illegal Drugs for Adults 18 and Older
• Biden to pardon prior federal offenses of weed possession

Resources:

Nature