Will MDMA be legalised in The Netherlands? The government is investigating it

A commission has been formed 💊

The Dutch are world-renowned for their tolerant stance towards all things related to drugs. So, of course, an investigation into the positive uses of MDMA in Dutch society is on the agenda.

In fact, the Dutch government has a state MDMA commission to conduct research on the matter.

And its findings? Quite surprising.

Take MDMA! But for PTSD

According to a government press release, the job of the state commission is to “investigate the status of MDMA in the context of public health and to provide advice on the advantages and disadvantages of medicinal use.”

In particular, the commission is investigating how MDMA could be used “in medicinal use in some therapies for mental health patients.”

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #56: Have a liberal attitude towards party drugs

Taking experts from psychology, criminology, medicine, and law, the committee looked into how MDMA could be used therapeutically in cases such as those suffering from PTSD.

And they found that, yes, this could actually be a good method to treat such patients.

In fact, they’re so confident in their findings that, according to the press release:

“The committee therefore recommends developing the medical use of MDMA for PTSD as quickly as possible and facilitating its implementation.”

You heard em’, get the drugs. 💊

Does this mean MDMA will be legalised in the Netherlands?

However, this doesn’t mean that everyone in the Netherlands will suddenly have good ol’ molly casually joining them for a night out (or a not-so-chill evening in).

While the commission does find grounds for introducing MDMA therapeutically, the Netherlands isn’t quite ready to legalise it, it says.

While the commission found that “the addiction risk and harmfulness appear to be less than expected”, we still don’t know enough about MDMA-related deaths.

On top of this, the commission says that as long as criminality surrounds the drug, we can kiss our dreams of legalising MDMA goodbye.

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Feature Image:Freepik
Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Before becoming the Senior Editor of DutchReview, Sarah was a fresh-faced international looking to learn more about the Netherlands. Since moving here in 2017, Sarah has added a BA in English and Philosophy (Hons.), an MA in Literature (Hons.), and over three years of writing experience at DutchReview to her skillset. When Sarah isn't acting as a safety threat to herself and others (cycling), you can find her trying to sound witty while writing about some of the stickier topics such as mortgages and Dutch law.

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