According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), as of July 1, authorized psychiatrists will be allowed to prescribe MDMA — the active ingredient in party drugs such as “ecstasy” or “molly” — to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

They will also be allowed to prescribe psilocybin, a compound found in psychotropic “magic” mushrooms, for treatment-resistant depression.

The TGA said the decision addressed the “lack of options” for people with some mental illnesses that did not respond to other treatments.

The TGA stressed that the drugs had only been approved for use under controlled medical settings by authorized psychiatrists.

The TGA said the decision to allow the treatment was made because for some patients, the benefits of being treated with these substances under a psychiatrist’s supervision outweighed the risks.

There are no TGA-approved medicines containing MDMA or psilocybin available in Australia, meaning authorised psychiatrists will need to supply patients with “unapproved” medicines containing those substances.

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