Ecstasy: Where The Feds Disagree

By John Cloud

Since the early '90s, as more and more youths have discovered ecstasy, government scientists have tried to speak with a clear voice that the drug carries life-threatening risks and no benefits. Now that voice has cracked.

The FDA has sanctioned a study of methylenedioxymethamphetamine, better known as MDMA, or ecstasy, as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Once it is approved by a review board at a research facility, the study will mark the first time in three decades that the government has allowed researchers to give a psychedelic drug to subjects who have never taken it, which suggests the FDA doesn't think taking ecstasy is too risky, at least as part of a carefully monitored experiment. That puts the agency at odds with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which classifies ecstasy as unsafe even under medical supervision.

Dr. Julie Holland, a psychiatrist and author of the recently published Ecstasy: The Complete Guide, says there is strong anecdotal evidence that ecstasy, more than any legal drug, can help stress-disorder sufferers confront the traumatic event that led to the condition. "Let's look at the science and not the politics," says Holland. Trouble is, science and politics are intertwined when it comes to the drug war.

--By John Cloud