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According to the promising results of the current preliminary research being done I don’t believe there is an ethical way to stop further research on using MDMA for PTSD.  Given the ineffectiveness of current treatments for PTSD and its debilitating nature I think it is important to pursue all promising treatments for this illness.  In general, I don’t think that drug policy should play a role in a drugs availability for research because just because a drug can be used recreationally doesn’t mean that it can’t have real therapeutic value.  

That being said, I think it is interesting that as a class we seemed more supportive of using MDMA for treatment than we were for using SSRIs for the treatment of depression even though there has been more research done on the use of SSRIs.  Although the SSRI research results are controversial there are many anecdotal cases where people say that SSRIs really made a difference in their lives.  Since most of the current research and enthusiasm for MDMA use in PTSD comes from anecdotal evidence I wonder why we are more positive about the quality, promise, and moral use of MDMA than SSRIs.  Last week we talked about how it may be better to try therapy alone first before turning to drugs for treatment.  Therefore, should MDMA also be used only in severe cases and as a last resort?

Along with this, while I believe if any drug has a therapeutic effect it should be legal, I have a harder time finding a similarly valid argument for whether drugs with no tested therapeutic purpose should be made legal for everyday use.  I see the similarity between MDMA and alcohol in that they both cause an altered state of mind and are used recreationally; however, I still have a harder time imagining going to the store and buying LSD for the weekend.  This is could be because I grew up in a “DARE” society which warned against the evils of “hard” drugs, but I think it equally warned against the danger of alcohol and I have much less trouble accepting alcohol than I do these other drugs.  Actually, I think there could be a good argument for making ecstasy legal.  However, I think that the hallucinations which can be caused by LSD make it a more “scary” drug and less safe to have in the general population.  I don’t know how real or common hallucinations are with LSD but if they could cause people to think they are a bird and jump off buildings or think another person is a witch and try to kill them I think it has more potential to be dangerous.    

Should we also make other psychoactive drugs (such as SSRIs, antipsychotics, ridalin, etc) legal for everyday use?  If we say that LSD and other hallucinogens should be legal for recreation than why can’t all prescription drugs be legal?  Perhaps it should be someone’s individual choice on what state of mind they want to have and all drugs should be legal as long as everyone is aware of the possible negative side effects.  It may be due to the culture I grew up in but I find this idea somewhat disturbing.  In this society people could take drugs to ease their pain anytime they wanted and since most people dislike pain I think this would be a common occurrence.  I’m sure not everyone would take it, but looking at today’s society it seems that many people are looking for a quick and easy cure for depression and other illnesses. However, we previously talked about how sometimes a depressed or anxious state of mind is a good and normal thing.  By changing society in this way would we be eliminating an important part of our human experience?