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Comment by Synaesthesia | Hacker News Reader

Funny because it started as a breakthrough therapy drug which Shulgin and a few psychiatrists and escaped to become a club drug, especially in Texas. This lead to it being placed in schedule 1 by the DEA, against recommendations by doctors and scientists, that it should be allowed to be researched. The DEA did this by passing a special law giving them emergency powers.

http://www.maps.org/research-archive/dea-mdma/

Having had experience with MDMA I can attest to it’s near magical therapeutic powers. But no drug is a panacea and it can certainly have drastic side effects, particularly when abused but even if not.

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After watching the 60 minutes expose on the DEO and how they helped cause the opioid epidemic, the DEO literally does the opposite of what they're supposed to. They make it easier to get dangerous drugs into the wrong hands, while preventing helpful drugs to those who need it most.

I guess you're referring to this thing? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-dea-agent-opioid-crisis-fuel...

>Ex-DEA agent: Opioid crisis fueled by drug industry and Congress Whistleblower Joe Rannazzisi says drug distributors pumped opioids into U.S. communities -- knowing that people were dying -- and says industry lobbyists and Congress derailed the DEA's efforts to stop it

To add to the other comment, I highly recommend 'Acid Test' to get an overview of the history and potential of MDMA + other drugs like magic mushrooms.

https://www.audible.com/pd/History/Acid-Test-Audiobook/B00MP...

Thanks for this. I'm curious to hear why something that has such remarkable potential to improve lives, has somehow been channeled into a social taboo.

When something competes with established channels for individual fulfillment, the people who control those channels (politicians, manufacturers, priests, ministers) will oppose, vilify, and demonize it.

This is a great read.

Yeah this is essentially it coming full circle. This book [0] is a great read on the history and use of Ecstasy and covers it's early therapeutic uses and how it progressed to party drug.

[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecstasy-Dance-Culture-Nicholas-Saun...

It can be a nice experience, but I wouldn't call it therapeutic. I mean, it won't change your personality or anything like that.

That's a nice opinion. Be a shame if anything ever happened to it. I hope you have others that you can share.

> I mean, it won't change your personality or anything like that.

I was on MDMA in 2000 when I finally saw through my own bigotry. I had been raised with a particular set of values about a group due to the prejudice of a parent. I have always attributed that personal breakthrough to the drug. This still might have occurred naturally, albeit at a slower rate, but it shattered my worldview in a very positive way in one night.

I could go on about personality changes that were directly linked to another chemical, but the point is that just because it hasn’t happened to you doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened to someone else.

False. When used in the right set & setting MDMA can have profound impacts on people's lives.

The book Trust Surrender Receive has 40+ accounts of people use did underground therapy with amazing results.

http://bit.ly/mdmabook

Update: author website: http://AnneOther.com

Did you use it in a clinical setting under a doctor’s care?

I know a ton of people that have been helped dramatically with MDMA. Most commonly lifted out of depression, permanently.

The FDA disagrees with you: http://www.maps.org/news/media/6786-press-release-fda-grants...

Well psychiatric researchers who actually treat people while under the influence of MDMA disagree, so your opinion isn't really relevant.

Disagree - I suffered crippling social anxiety and paranoia as a teenager. I was a lonely and isolated child. First time I tried MDMA in a social setting was like stepping into another body where strangers weren't all laughing at me/talking about me behind my back. I was able to effortlessly start conversations with random people and was surprised at the positive response.

That one night was a huge, huge catalyst in overcoming my social anxiety and I can't overstate how long-lasting, life changing and valuable the experience was for me.

MDMA is an extremely powerful substance and I'm excited to see it being taken seriously for therapy.

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