Pioneers and Studies
The History of MDMA June 29, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198867364.003.0009
Summary
The chapter outlines the developments related to MDMA from 1986 to 2000, including the first scientific conference, the founding of MAPS, early human studies, and harm reduction approaches. It highlights the struggle for approval of the initial placebo-controlled MDMA study for PTSD treatment in the U.S. and discusses various research activities and findings regarding MDMA use during this period.
Abstract
Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the range of activities that took place with regard to MDMA over a period of around 15 years (around 1986–2000). It starts with the first scientific conference on MDMA in 1986 and the founding of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), then considers the first books on MDMA, a NIDA study on different groups using MDMA, the first research studies in humans in the early 1990s, approaches to harm reduction for recreational use, human studies on patterns of recreational use, and the first treatment study in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The story of the long struggle to gain approval for the first placebo-controlled therapeutic MDMA study in the United States is also described, as is the history of the more significant MDMA research in humans during the period of 1990 to 2000.