MDMA Tested on Animals

The history of MDMA all started in 1912. Although MDMA started in 1912 it was not patented until 1914 by Merck in Germany. There was however no human research done at the time the drug first got patent. By the 1930s the US government was hoping to use the drug in chemical warfare and possibly as a truth pill, but by the 1950s the US government started to do human and animal testing as well as tested another drugs like MDA and MDE. The death of one of the subjects and toxicological concerns stop the research. In the years to follow the 1970s the drug become very popular and started to be used by psychiatrists and therapist. The drug being used as a part of psychotherapy. The organization MAPS published a book about the use of MDMA as part of psychotherapy.

The book was called “The Secret Chief”. In the beginning of the 1980s the drug became very popular in Texas but the drug was being used in for recreational uses instead of medical. MDMA also got a new name during this time it was now called Ecstasy, but in the year 1985 the drug was made illegal for both recreational use and medical use. Judge Francis Young wanted the drug to be used for medical use and that therapist should be allowed to give it to their patients if need. Rick Doblin, Alise Agar and Debby Harlow made the pro-MDMA organization to help with the DEA lawsuit. By the year 1986 organization opened to try and get MDMA approved by the FDA. The organization submitted five different applications to the FDA that include darta from standard preclinical animal toxicity.

All five of the application that were submitted were rejected by the FDA. In years to follow Harvard Medical School, UC San Francisco Medical School, and U. of New Mexico Medical School to do double-blind controlled trail all of the applications were denied. Two more applications were submitted by two different physicians for single case studies. One was for treating terminal cancer patient. It was successfully on treating their pain with MDMA along with psychotherapy. The second case study was to treat patients with unipolar depression. The FDA rejected all these case studies because ‘its rationale for rejecting all protocols and single case studies on the on the hypothetical risk of functional consequences of potential neurotoxicity from MDMA proponents” (A MAPS History of MDMA). In the year 1992 MAPS submitted work to the FDA. The work was submitted by Dr. Charles Grob at UC Irvine. He was testing the power of MDMA on pain, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients. The study was approved for a Phase 1 safety study on November 5, 1992. Three years later the safety study was completed. The researched that was found was there was no real risk and that MDMA can be safe if given in clinical settings.

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