# Why soldiers should take MDMA to treat trauma Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-why-1011487/why-soldiers-should-take-mdma-to-treat-trauma Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-why-1011487/why-soldiers-should-take-mdma-to-treat-trauma.md Podcast: [This Is Why](https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-why-1011487) Published: 2026-04-29T14:45:00+00:00 Episode link: https://www.skynews.com Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1f10fc70-f66d-4dab-a85f-c5c7aadffc45.mp3?aw_0_1st.showid=2ca7ec14-a9a8-4a0c-8b24-e04eb2953ca0&aw_0_1st.episodeid=1f10fc70-f66d-4dab-a85f-c5c7aadffc45 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/this-is-why-1011487/episodes/why-soldiers-should-take-mdma-to-treat-trauma Duration seconds: 995 ## Resource The party drug ecstasy is usually associated with packed nightclubs and panicked politicians talking about the dangers involved in taking it. However, a former head of the UK’s armed forces believes the drug’s active ingredient, known as MDMA, could be key to treating veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. General Sir Nick Carter is now calling on the government to relax restrictions in order to reduce the crippling cost of clinical trials. What evidence is there to suggest this treatment could be effective and what’s been the reaction from the few former soldiers who have benefitted so far? Niall is joined by Sky’s science correspondent Thomas Moore. Warning: Contains references to drug taking, depression and suicide. Have you got a question for Niall? Email the show: why@sky.uk ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/this-is-why-1011487/episodes/why-soldiers-should-take-mdma-to-treat-trauma/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/this-is-why-1011487/why-soldiers-should-take-mdma-to-treat-trauma.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.