RESEARCH AWAITS ECSTASY APPROVAL

Researchers are waiting anxiously for final consent from Health
Canada to import the illegal drug Ecstasy for a study on the
treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Vancouver-based Dr. Ingrid Pacey and Andrew Feldmar will use
methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as Ecstasy, in their
double-blind study once they get a licence authorizing the import of
the pharmaceutical-grade drug from Switzerland.

The mental-health researchers were successful in applying for a
temporary exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in
early 2009 and expect their study to begin in six to eight weeks.

Dr. Pacey said the long wait was expected, considering the multitude
of clearances required for a banned substance. "I think to really be
moving into doing therapy with a substance that's illegal is just a
huge thing for the government to consider," said the psychiatrist.

The purpose of using psychedelic drugs such as MDMA to treat
post-traumatic stress is that "these drugs wake you up" while
pharmaceutical drugs often "put you to sleep," said Rick Doblin,
founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association
for Psychedelic Studies.

In a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology last month,
research funded by Mr. Doblin's association found that 10 of 12
patients treated with MDMA no longer suffered from the disorder after
treatment. With these results, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved the testing of MDMA on U.S. war veterans last month.

A full range of research remains before any decision is made whether
or not to use the drug on soldiers.

Canadian Forces Surgeon General Hans Jung warned against using a
"novel idea" for the treatment of soldiers suffering from
post-tramatic stress. He said Canadian soldiers returning from
overseas would qualify only for "proven, evidence-based treatment."

"We do not really get engaged in any kind of therapy unless it has
been fully approved by Health Canada," he said, calling the MDMA
research "hype."

U.S. researcher Julie Holland, who wrote Ecstasy: The Complete Guide,
said traditional drug treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder
does not permanently rid a patient of symptoms and recommended use of
MDMA as a chemo-adjunct to therapy.

While the study requires a foreign, legitimate source for MDMA, the
United Nations stated in its 2010 World Drug Report "the resurgence
of MDMA availability in the United States was fuelled by manufacture
in Canada and smuggling into the U.S. across the northern border."