Drug reform campaigner Dr Alex Wodak wants MDMA to be regulated and sold in stores

A leading drug reform campaigner, who is pro-pill testing and produces drug education for schools, wants MDMA to be regulated and sold in pharmacies. Dr Alex Wodak also believes Australians need to have a “debate” on how the drug should be regulated.

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A leading drug reform campaigner who is pro-pill testing wants MDMA to be regulated and sold in stores such as pharmacies.

Dr Alex Wodak, who is a ­director at think tank Australia21 which produces drug education resources for schools, believes Australians need to have a “debate” on how MDMA should be regulated.

As one of Australia’s leading “harm minimisation” campaigners, Dr Wodak also advocates for pill testing, regulation of cannabis and the scrapping of fines for personal drug use possession.

Dr Alex Wodak wants MDMA to be regulated and sold in stores.

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“If regulated MDMA was produced, MDMA sold legally, we’d hardly hear of it from one year to the next in terms of casualties. There’d still be some casualties but they’d be pretty uncommon,” he claimed.

Dr Wodak said the “proper regulation” of cannabis and MDMA would lower the risks of the drugs and pharmacies could be a place to sell the pills.

Australia21 has resources available to schools online and has been active in schools in South Australia.

A girl being helped by security guards at the Hardcore Till I Die festival. Picture: Damian Shaw

A paramedic team help a girl at the Electric Garden festival.

Dr Wodak said a new project was in the works which he hoped could be rolled out in NSW schools. He believes children should be told that drugs have “benefits”.

“We certainly want kids going through that program to know there are both benefits and there are also risks (of taking drugs). And we have to trust their judgment to try and stay safe,” he said.

“You have to approach the subject of drug education by acknowledging some people, not all people, enjoy it (drugs). And some of them enjoy it for a while and then hate it. But I think you have to acknowledge … some people get some pleasure from it, and also ­acknowledge of course that some people regret the day they took any drugs.”

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has reiterated her message that there is no safe way to take illicit drugs. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

But on Tuesday night Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Dr Wodak’s message would not be tolerated in schools.

“I’ve made my position very clear. There is no safe way to take illicit drugs,” she said.

Education Minister Rob Stokes has ordered a review of Dr Wodak’s engagement “if any” in schools.

Tony Wood, whose daughter Anna died from ecstasy in 1995, said: “Selling ecstasy over the counter is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard.”