Patients Taking Ecstasy Legally in San Francisco

MARIN (CBS SF) — Patients in San Francisco are legally being prescribed Ecstasy by doctors studying its therapeutic use in patients with life-threatening illness.

The goal of the trial is to see whether a pure dose of the compound MDMA, also known as ecstasy, can be pure medicine: could it ease the crippling anxiety, fear, or depression felt by those suffering from a life-threatening disease? This is one of the studies now underway that’s overseen by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS for short.

All three of these individuals qualified by their misfortune of experiencing a traumatic diagnosis.

“In June 2014, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer,” explained Donner to CBS SF, who is married and the mother of two children.

Donner endured a year of treatment that involved chemotherapy, surgery, and then reconstructive surgery.

“We see them probably like nobody else sees them,” explained psychotherapist and researcher Julane Andries.

The medical doctor has permission from the U.S. FDA to conduct the study,  and legally administer the drug.

In the study, MDMA is not used alone. The use of the compound is combined with psychotherapy sessions that can last five hours or longer.