“I would love for Canberrans with a range of views across the political spectrum partaking in this survey and offering their valued perspective,” said Johnathan Davis MLA, ACT Greens spokesperson on drug harm minimisation.
The survey by undergraduate researcher Ruby Olsson at the Australian National University aims to gain an indication of what the ACT public thinks about using MDMA and Psilocybin to treat mental health illnesses.
“The TGA has approved the use of MDMA and Psilocybin to treat mental illness in Australia by qualified medical professionals under a special access scheme. However, existing ACT legislation would need to be amended to allow this to proceed in the ACT,” said Ms Ollson.
Here’s the details on the research project
Participant Information Sheet
Researcher: My name is Ruby Olsson, I am an undergraduate student at the Australian National University, conducting this research for my Australian National Internship Project (ANIP) with my host organisation, Johnathan Davis MLA’s office.
Project Title: Public opinion in the ACT on using MDMA (the compound in ecstasy) and Psilocybin (the active ingredient in “magic” mushrooms) to treat mental health illnesses
General Outline of the Project:
• Description and Methodology: The aim of the project is to gain an indication of what public opinion in the ACT is on using MDMA and Psilocybin to treat mental health illnesses. The responses to each question will be measured as a percentage of the total respondents (e.g. 25% of respondents answered “yes” to question x). The data will then be analysed to recognise trends in responses.
• Participants: The survey is open to all ACT residents over 18 years
• Use of Data and Feedback: The data will be used in my ANIP thesis and possibly for future research. My ANIP host organisation (Johnathan Davis MLA’s office) may also use the data. The results of this survey cannot be shared with you, as the survey does not collect any contact details or personal information. However, the thesis may be made public once completed.
Participant Involvement:
• Voluntary Participation & Withdrawal: Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you may withdraw from the survey at any time before submission for any reason. If you withdraw no data from your response will be saved. By submitting the survey you are giving your consent for that data to be used.
• What does participation in the research entail? Your participation only involves answering questions in a 10-minute online survey
• Location and Duration: The survey is online and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete
• Risks: This survey asks questions about mental health. These questions are not designed to cause any distress, however if you feel uncomfortable at any time you can discontinue the survey.
• Benefits: It is unlikely that you will personally benefit from participating in this research, however this survey allows you a say in whether MDMA and Psilocybin should be used as treatments for mental health illnesses in the ACT.
• Confidentiality: The survey is completely anonymous, and you cannot be identified through the questions asked
Privacy Notice: In collecting your personal information within this research, the ANU must comply with the Privacy Act 1988. The ANU Privacy Policy is available at https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_010007 and it contains information about how a person can:
• Access or seek correction to their personal information;
• Complain about a breach of an Australian Privacy Principle by ANU, and how ANU will handle the complaint.
Data Storage:
• Where: An excel sheet on my laptop and an online backup location, likely google drive or google excel
• How long: The data will be stored for at least one year after submitting the thesis • Handling of Data following the required storage period: The data will be archived after the storage period
Queries and Concerns:
• Contact Details for More Information:
Ruby Olsson: Email: u6662237@anu.edu.au
Dr Laurence Brown: Email: Laurence.brown@anu.edu.au
Phone contact Johnathan Davis MLA’s Office: 0262050051
Phone contact Johnathan Davis MLA’s Office: 0262050051
• Contact Details if in Distress:
Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
Ethics Committee Clearance: The ethical aspects of this research have been approved by the ANU Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol 2021/565). If you have any concerns or complaints about how this research has been conducted, please contact: Ethics Manager The ANU Human Research Ethics Committee The Australian National University Telephone: +61 2 6125 3427 Email: Human.Ethics.Officer@anu.edu.au
