The History, Controversy, and Promise of MDMA

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 7 June 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Few drugs in history have generated as much controversy, or held as much promise as MDMA, writes science journalist Rachel Nuwer. Health officials once said the psychedelic drug known as Ecstasy or Molly would eat holes in the brains of the people who took it. Decades later, researchers are on the verge of applying for federal authorization to use the drug to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a move which Nuwer says could revolutionize its place in society. Nuwer traces the little known history of the drug – from its first confirmed human use in the San Francisco Bay Area during the counterculture era, to the cutting edge of therapeutic research – in her new book “I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World.” Guests: Rachel Nuwer, author and freelance science journalist. She's written for outlets like The New York Times and National Geographic. Her new book is “I Feel Love: M-D-M-A and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:43.9	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Leslie McClurg. I'm in for Mina Kim.
1:05.0	Coming up on forum, MDMA, Ecstasy, Molly, all names for the party drug that keeps ravers up all night dancing.
1:12.4	Fast forward to today, and researchers are on the verge of seeking federal approval to use the drug to treat post-traumatic stress disorder,
1:19.9	which is just one of the many potential therapeutic uses scientists are looking at.
1:24.4	Research is unfolding on how MDMA could treat addiction, eating disorders, and
1:28.5	depression. We'll explore it all with Rachel Neuer. She's the author of the new book, I Feel Love,
1:33.9	MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World. She joins us after this news.
1:50.9	Welcome to F. I'm Leslie McClure again today from Mina Kim.
1:57.3	Few drugs in history have generated as much controversy or held as much promise as MDMA,
2:02.9	right, science journalist Rachel Neuer. From cutting-edge labs to pulsing club floors to the intimacy of the therapist's couch, we're going to discuss the rich history that is
2:07.5	rewriting our understanding of MDMA. We will separate fact from fantasy and hope from hype.
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