New Zealand's medicines regulator Medsafe has authorised two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), making the country the second in the world to approve the psychedelic compound for this use, after Australia took a similar step in 2023. The treatment must be combined with psychotherapy, patients must be over 18, and the substance cannot be taken home — it will only be administered in a supervised clinical setting. The move comes despite the US Food and Drug Administration rejecting a comparable application in 2024, citing insufficient evidence of safety and efficacy, and highlights a growing divide among regulators over the therapeutic potential of psychedelic-assisted treatments.