About MAPS
Who we are
Researchers of Psychedelics, Leaders of Change.
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS previously sponsored the most advanced psychedelic-assisted therapy research in the world and continues to support psychedelic and marijuana research with a focus on the people and places most impacted by trauma.
MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and The Zendo Project, a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Philanthropic donors and grantors who have given more than $140 million to advance psychedelic research, change drug policy, and shape culture.
Take a Trip
Down Memory Lane.
After decades of fundamental research, there was a cultural struggle over psychedelics in the United States. Just as psychiatrists, psychologists, and other researchers were making incredible headway on their studies of compounds like LSD and psilocybin (among others), the U.S. government criminalized these substances, blocking research across the globe.
Enter our founder, Rick Doblin, Ph.D.. Knowing the DEA would move onto criminalizing MDMA, Rick (along with Alise Agar and Debby Harlow) started a nonprofit in 1984, the Earth Metabolic Design Lab. They filed a lawsuit to prevent the DEA’s effort to classify MDMA as a Schedule I substance. Unfortunately, the DEA rejected the recommendation of the judge to keep the therapeutic use of MDMA legal. But hope was not lost.
By creating MAPS in 1986, Rick was able to continue researching the healing potential of MDMA and other psychedelics. Over the course of the past 37 years, MAPS has raised over $140 million for psychedelic research and education.
The Awakening
MAPS is Born
Change
in the Wind
Let the Trials Begin
MAPS PBC
is Born
Psychedelic Science 2017 is Born
TED
meets MAPS
2021
& Beyond
Our
Never-Ending
Dedication to Diversity
At MAPS, we’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace, and fully recognize that diversity is not just a goal, but an ongoing mission. We provide equal employment opportunities to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, arrest or conviction record, and any other basis prohibited by law.
The Movement
In Action
Our job is incomplete until we’re able to provide access and education to everyone. The MAPS Policy & Advocacy Department works with a wide range of communities to make psychedelic research, education, and care more accessible. Thanks to our work with various advocacy groups, we continue to work towards decriminalisation and regulation of all drugs. Only when we start with social, radical, and environmental justices can we offer true healing to everyone who needs it.
The Minds
Behind The Movement
Over the past three decades, we’ve assembled a team of passionate professionals who have helped facilitate groundbreaking studies, policy change, and radical healing.
