Studies show that MDMA could prove very useful in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The legalisation of ecstasy could be realised as early as 2021 if clinical trials in the United States continue to show the benefits of the drug in treating people with PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
According to The New York Times, a massive clinical trial is expected to begin in early 2017 to test the benefits of MDMA use in people who have survived war combat, sexual assault, violent crimes and other traumatic experiences.
Researchers have been told by the Food and Drug Administration that they can move ahead after successful, smaller trials.
Ecstasy, of course, comes with certain health risks that include liver damage, cardiac arrests, high temperatures and potential brain damage.
However, it is also known to decrease anxiety and fear, and patients reported a decrease in symptoms such as nightmares and depression.
Of 106 participants in the second phase of trials, 66% no longer had PTSD by the end of those trials.
Ecstasy has been on worldwide lists of prohibited drugs since its popularity skyrocketed in the club scenes of the 1980s and 1990s.
It is expected that the FDA will formally green-light the Phase 3 trial in early 2017, with the drug potentially approved for prescription use by 2021.
Its success could determine whether governments on this side of the Atlantic, including the Irish establishment, will follow a similar path.
