MAPS, or the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, is a non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1986 to explore the potential for psychedelics to benefit society. Their mission is to fund, design, and obtain regulatory approval for studies into the medicinal use of substances usually labeled “drugs.” If you’ve read about studies into the effects of MDMA on PTSD, LSD and psilocybin treatment for depression and anxiety, or ayahuasca and ibogaine therapy in treating addiction, odds are MAPS was instrumental in bringing those studies to fruition. But what exactly is MAPS, and why are they so committed to exploring the potential of psychedelics and entheogenics? Keep reading to find out.
The Roots Of A Movement
Albert Hoffman’s discovery of LSD in 1943 prompted a wave of interest in psychedelic substances. Early researchers used the substance in conjunction with Freudian psychoanalysis, and it was also explored as a cure for alcoholism. In 1957 a reporter for Life Magazine wrote an article detailing the experience of using psilocybin mushrooms during a shamanic ceremony in Mexico, prompting the West to rediscover these remarkable plants. Medical and academic experiments continued until, prompted by the counter-cultural associations of the substances, the US fully criminalized psychedelics in 1968, a move which halted research in the West over the next two decades.
In the 1980s, MDMA was used in a variety of psychological experiments and clinical settings, but as its recreational use became more popular, the DEA moved to criminalize this substance as well. Anticipating this move, scientists and academics Rick Doblin, Debby Harlow, and Alise Agar created a group called Earth Metabolic Design Laboratories (EMDL) to advocate against labeling it as a Schedule 1 drug, a move which would block future research. In spite of the urging of the scientific community, the US government pushed through an emergency measure to outlaw MDMA.
Doblin believed that MDMA had “the unique potential both to aid psychotherapy and eventually to become a prescription medicine.” He sought incorporation for MAPS as a nonprofit research and educational organization. The creation of MAPS was a first step toward the future Doblin envisioned: the creation of a “nonprofit psychedelic-pharmaceutical company” which would “develop psychedelics and marijuana into FDA-approved prescription medicines, and to educate the public honestly about the risks and benefits of these drugs.”
What MAPS Has Accomplished
Doblin started off trying to persuade regulatory bodies to allow clinical studies of psychedelic and entheogenic substances. His early failures convinced him that he should change his tactics: “since what I wanted was the research, and the research was blocked by the politics, then maybe I should study the politics.” Doblin enrolled at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and learned everything he could about politics. He started MAPS with the aim of creating a shift in drug policy, and the organization has already achieved substantial results. The group put 15% of its time and resources into the move to decriminalize and ultimately legalize marijuana, a goal which has been accomplished in many American states.
On the research front, MAPS has also cleared the way for studies around the globe on ayahuasca, ibogaine, MDMA, marijuana and many other substances which have shown potential for treating addiction, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The organization has already raised $30 million in 2020, and they are pushing a lot of their resources into studies on the effects of MDMA therapy on PTSD sufferers.
Bob Parsons, a MAPS donor who founded the companies GoDaddy and PXG, told The Wall Street Journal “There are millions of people with PTSD in the U.S. alone, and that includes veterans like me, first responders like those on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic, and survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse. All of them deserve better, significantly more effective treatment options than we give them today.”
A Bright Future
The work MAPS has done through lobbying, fundraising, and cultivating connections with researchers, academics, venture capitalists, and the media has been absolutely instrumental in creating the current moment, where society appears poised to take psychedelic medicine seriously after 50 years in the criminalized wilderness. As Charles Grob, MD and professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science, recently told the Scientific American: “Psychopharmacology as a field had stalled. Many patients don’t respond to conventional treatment with SSRIs.”
As conventional treatments fall out of favor due to their expense and a growing body of evidence which suggests that they are failing the majority of patients, MAPS’ message is reaching a receptive audience. And as the twin pandemics of opioid addiction and the COVID-19 virus ravage countries around the globe, we’ve never needed promising alternative treatments so badly.
Studies into ibogaine therapy for treating opioid addiction backed by MAPS in New Zealand and Mexico have led American entrepreneurs and regulators to finally take serious steps into unlocking the potential of this remarkable substance. Meanwhile, as increasing numbers of health workers and COVID-19 sufferers are impacted by PTSD, calls for psychedelic therapy grow louder. As The Sacramento Bee concluded: “To address the inevitable spike of mental illnesses [in the wake of the virus], we must hasten the approval of new evidence-based medications for depression and PTSD. These include the psychedelic compounds MDMA and psilocybin.”
The Phase 3 studies on MDMA for treating PTSD are showing promising results thus far. Forbes Magazine recently reported that “MAPS is well on course to meet the FDA’s efficacy requirements for approval as a legal prescription drug.” As Doblin recently told reporters “we are now actively preparing for FDA approval and commercialization based not on hopes and dreams but on actual data from Phase 3.” After 34 years of advocacy, it appears that MAPS is finally on the verge of unleashing the potential of psychedelic medicine. At Tabula Rasa Retreat, we couldn’t be more grateful for their life-saving efforts. If you’re interested in ibogaine therapy for PTSD or addiction, we’re standing by to answer all of your questions and concerns!
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