NEWS: The Age - 23/06/08 'Troops should take ecstasy, says MP'

[hoptis]

Troops should take ecstasy, says MP
June 23, 2008

The drug ecstasy could be used by war veterans to alleviate stress, says an Australian Democrats MP.

South Australian Democrat Sandra Kanck says the drug's key ingredient, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), could be used to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorders.

"This is not a new idea, it is being trialled in the United States and Israel for war veterans and in Spain for rape victims," she said in a statement.

"It's not a frivolous idea.

"Studies by the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2003 and 2007 have shown that post-traumatic stress is a real issue for veterans of the Gulf and Vietnam wars.

"Veterans, like other Australians, are already being prescribed powerful drugs like highly addictive morphine for pain relief and benzodiazepines for post traumatic stress disorder - both are potentially addictive and dangerous drugs.

"Most drugs can be dangerous but if they are used in a controlled way they can be medically beneficial."

SA Veteran's Affairs Minister Michael Atkinson has dismissed Ms Kanck's suggestion the government should look at her proposal.

But Ms Kanck said: "If Michael Atkinson really cared about veterans he would look into any proposal that might help them and their families.

"He is either too superstitious to consider the science and the evidence or he is playing cynical politics.''

In 2006, Ms Kanck was roundly criticised after telling parliament there was no evidence to suggest MDMA was dangerous.

She also said if she had a choice between attending a rave party or a hotel bar, she would "go to the rave party every time".

Ms Kanck also advocated giving MDMA to traumatised victims of the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires, which killed nine people.

Ms Kanck, a member of SA's Legislative Council since 1993, said those comments were taken out of context and she had been talking of therapeutic use of MDMA, not the use of backyard-manufactured ecstasy.

AAP

The Age

 

[Pistachio]

The mere suggestion of being progressive on drugs is political suicide. Politics is such a dirty game, integrity and innovation is met with aggression.

Mad props to Sandra Kanck.

 

[marklar_the_23rd]

SA Veteran's Affairs Minister Michael Atkinson has dismissed Ms Kanck's suggestion the government should look at her proposal.

But Ms Kanck said: "If Michael Atkinson really cared about veterans he would look into any proposal that might help them and their families.

"He is either too superstitious to consider the science and the evidence or he is playing cynical politics.''

slammed!

 

[phase_dancer]

Go Sandra! Let's hope our future political climate will allow the conscientious politician to place science before idealism.

Perhaps some of her objectors should listen to those who've had their lives turned around from the therapeutic use of MDMA.


Here's two accounts, as originally presented on "State of Ecstasy" Conference held in 2001. The online audio links have been down for ages, so here's temp links. The second is a large file, but well worth the listen IMO.

From DrugPolicy.Org

Audio Marcela Ot'alora, M.F.A

A native of Colombia South America, Ot'alora went to the US in 1980 to attend the University of Maine. In 1987 she received a Master's of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been an artist and a teacher for eighteen years. She is in Madrid, Spain working as a therapist in an MDMA and PTSD project.

Sue Stevens

Sue Stevens is the widow of Shane Stevens who passed away from cancer on October 2, 1999. The couple had tried MDMA therapy to confront many issues in their relationship that were affected by his cancer. They believe that the MDMA sessions allowed Shane an extra three years of life or more, due to the emotional & psychological changes they experienced during and after the sessions. It is their dream that one day others will be able to get this help and not have to break the law as they did.

Audio: Marcela Ot'alora, M.F.A (4.33MB)

Audio: Susan Stevens (10.22MB)

 

[lilczey]

fuck yea it should this is great thanx hoptis

 

[peaked]

RSL rejects calls to use ecstasy on stressed war veterans
Article from: AAP
Steve Larkin
June 23, 2008 03:25pm

PROPOSALS to use the drug ecstasy on war veterans to alleviate stress have drawn a lukewarm response from the Returned Services League.
RSL national president Bill Crews said he was reluctant to support a call from an Australian Democrats MP to investigate using the drug on war veterans.

South Australian Democrat Sandra Kanck said ecstasy's key ingredient, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, could be used to alleviate post-traumatic stress disorders.

"This is not a new idea," Ms Kanck said. "It is being trialled in the United States and Israel for war veterans and in Spain for rape victims."

"It's not a frivolous idea.

"Veterans, like other Australians, are already being prescribed powerful drugs like highly addictive morphine for pain relief and benzodiazepines for post-traumatic stress disorder. Both are potentially addictive and dangerous drugs.

"Most drugs can be dangerous but if they are used in a controlled way they can be medically beneficial."

Major General Crews said the proposal was problematic.

"When you are talking about ingredients of illegal drugs in the process of mental health treatment, you are starting to raise quite some issues. Even if it was proven to be beneficial in some areas, how do you actually control it?" he said.

"It's a matter that would be best examined by those qualified to make a decision about its validity or otherwise.

"And until I heard the advice of those specialists and the reasons for that advice, certainly I would be somewhat reluctant to support it.

"We would not agree with a proposal until such time as it was thoroughly investigated scientifically and the specialists in this field, particularly psychiatrists, were confident that there was a case."

In 2006, Ms Kanck was roundly criticised after telling parliament there was no evidence to suggest MDMA was dangerous.

She also said if she had a choice between attending a rave party or a hotel bar, she would "go to the rave party every time".

Ms Kanck also advocated giving MDMA to traumatised victims of the 2005 Eyre Peninsula bushfires, which killed nine people.

Ms Kanck, a member of SA's Legislative Council since 1993, said those comments were taken out of context and she had been talking of therapeutic use of MDMA, not the use of backyard-manufactured ecstasy.

Source

 

[hoptis]

It's not as negative a response as you'd expect from the RSL. Given that this is something Israel and the United States have considered seriously, it's not such a far-fetched idea either.