A clinical dose of MDMA, a man-made drug commonly known as ecstasy. (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a clinical trial on the potential benefits of using the hallucinogenic drug MDMA — commonly known as ecstasy — in therapeutic settings to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol addiction in veterans.
The clinical trial, announced last week, will enroll 80 veterans to study the safety and effectiveness of MDMA-assisted therapy to address severe conditions that do not fully respond to standard treatments, according to the VA.
The trial began enrolling participants on May 18, and is actively recruiting, according to ClinicalTrials.gov.
MDMA stands for methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It is a Schedule I drug, which is illegal under federal law for general use outside of medically supervised, structured clinical trials.
The drug stimulates the nervous system and can produce intense feelings of euphoria, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The announcement of a clinical trial for MDMA-assisted therapy follows an executive order by President Donald Trump in April to fast-track evaluation of certain psychedelic drugs for treating mental health conditions.
Titled “Accelerating Medical Treatment for Serious Mental Illness,” the executive order cited the suicide rate among veterans as a reason for advancing studies into these alternative treatments. The rate is more than 1.5 times higher than in the general adult population, according to the 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.
The executive order directed the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services to work with the VA and the private sector to increase clinical trial participation in psychedelic therapies.
“Innovative methods are needed to find long-term solutions for these Americans beyond existing prescription medications,” according to the executive order.
For this study — titled “MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Veterans With PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder“ — veterans will be recruited from the VA Providence Healthcare System, R.I., and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, in West Haven, Conn.
Participants will undergo a structured, multi-month therapeutic program that includes mental health counseling and the medically supervised delivery of “pharmaceutical-grade MDMA,” according to ClinicalTrials.gov.
The study will compare outcomes between veterans who receive MDMA-assisted therapy with those receiving the same psychotherapy but who are administered an “active placebo.”
Participants will be given MDMA, or the placebo, “in a safe, controlled, clinical setting,” according to the VA.
The VA will coordinate research and share data with the FDA.
The VA is currently involved in 19 other active clinical trials focused on psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions, according to the agency.
VA Secretary Doug Collins said that the agency needs an “all-of-the-above strategy” for helping veterans with serious mental health conditions.
“This trial represents an important step in safely evaluating new approaches and innovations to treat veterans,” Collins said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is another member of the Trump administration who has pressed for review and approval of psychedelic drugs as a mental health treatment.
The FDA has granted “breakthrough therapy designation” to several psychedelic substances, including MDMA, for the purpose of clinical evaluation, according to the VA.
“Breakthrough therapy designation” means that a substance is part of an FDA program designed to expedite the review and development of new drugs for treating serious and life-threatening conditions.
But clinical use of MDMA-assisted therapies outside of a research setting will only be considered after FDA approval is granted, the agency said.
The VA also issued a written statement saying that it “strongly discourages self-medicating or attempting to replace other mental health treatment options with psychedelics or any other unprescribed substances.”
