Developing MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine is MAPS’ top priority. MAPS has a comprehensive strategy outlined in a Clinical Plan to develop MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine as an adjunct to psychotherapy.

MAPS’ MDMA psychotherapy research agenda has been featured in hundreds of news stories, including prestigious news outlets as the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, the scientific journal Nature, Newsweek, and the Boston Globe.

Our MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) studies in the US and internationally are being submitted to the United States Food and Drug Administration as part of our Investigational New Drug Application to apply for prescription medicine status.

Donations to the MDMA Psychotherapy Research Fund will make the following types of projects possible:

• Writing an academic paper and seeking publication of our flagship US MDMA/PTSD study completed in 2008
• A Therapist Training Retreat for MDMA/PTSD Researchers
• Revising our MDMA/PTSD Treatment manual
• Developing a therapist training program
• Completing an MDMA/PTSD study in Israel
• Completing an MDMA/PTSD study in Switzerland
• Developing and Completing an MDMA/PTSD study in Jordan
• Developing and Completing an MDMA/PTSD study in Canada
• Applying for a grant for an MDMA/PTSD study in Spain
• Developing an MDMA/PTSD study for US Military Veterans

Donations of any amount are most appreciated.

MAPS would like to thank the following individuals and foundations for going above and beyond in supporting our MDMA/PTSD research: Peter Lewis ($750,000), John Gilmore ($113,000), Anonymous ($119,000), the Robert Keeler Foundation ($107,000), Vanja Palmers ($100,000), Anonymous Family Foundation ($110,000), Anonymous Family Foundation ($58,000), Libra Foundation ($50,000), Ashawna Hailey ($45,000), bequest from the estate of Lyn Ehrnstein ($35,000), Overbrook Foundation ($35,000), Anja Saunders ($13,800), Zimmer Family Foundation ($10,000), Richard Wolfe ($10,000), Tim Butcher ($8,000), June Blewitt ($5,000), Michael Ziegler ($5,000), SAePT (5000 SF) and Joby Pritzker ($5,000).

MAPS is proud to sponsor the first clinical study of LSD in humans since the early 1970’s. This study, based in Switzerland, is currently enrolling subjects who have life-threatening illnesses and are experiencing associated anxiety. Though there has been substantial prior research with LSD in cancer patients that demonstrated safety and some degree of efficacy, that research was conducted over 35 years ago. In order to generate data that will be accepted by today’s regulatory agencies, new protocols must meet modern drug development standards. Our research has had to start from scratch and has been designed carefully. This study will be used to guide the development of our future treatment approach.

Dr. Gasser’s study will complement Dr. John Halpern’s MAPS-initiated research investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in advanced-stage cancer patients with anxiety and Dr. Charles Grob’s Heffter-sponsored research investigating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in cancer patients with anxiety.

Donations to the LSD Psychotherapy Research Fund will go towards Dr. Gasser’s study, and future MAPS studies investigating LSD. Dr. Gasser’s MAPS-sponsored study will cost an estimated $195,000, all of which has been raised.

Here are a variety of study costs that you can support for future studies like this one:

• Sponsor One Subject, all associated costs: $18,750
• Sponsor One LSD Experimental Session, all associated costs: $7,000
• All LSD Experimental Sessions, therapist time only, for one subject: $2,300
• All Non-Drug Psychotherapy sessions for one subject: $1,350
• Independent Rater, each subject: $450
• One Non-Drug Psychotherapy Session: $225
• One Medical Exam: $150

Donations of any amount are most appreciated and will go towards funding more studies investigating the use of LSD in conjunction with psychotherapy.

Generous donations have been made by Robert Barnhart ($125,000), Kevin Herbert ($18,750), Vanja Palmers ($10,000), Fredi Muller (10,000 SF), Amanda Fielding (5000 Euros), Anonymous ($85,000), and Anonymous ($5,000). Thank you to all who contributed through book and art purchases as well!

MAPS is seeking to develop marijuana into an FDA-approved prescription medicine. An essential prerequisite to starting a serious drug development effort is to obtain our own independent source of supply of marijuana that can legally be used in research, instead of being forced to rely on research material from the National Institue on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that NIDA has refused to provide. In June 2001, Prof. Lyle Craker, Director, Medicinal Plant Program, UMass Amherst Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, submitted an application to DEA for a permit for a MAPS-sponsored production facility. Due to DEA’s unreasonable delays and eventual refusal to grant a license to Prof. Craker, MAPS coordinated a lawsuit against DEA before DEA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Mary Ellen Bittner. On February 12, 2007, DEA ALJ Bittner found that it would be in the public interest for DEA to issue a license to Prof. Craker and recommended the DEA issue the license (PDF). In January 2009, DEA issued a final ruling contrary to the ALJ’s recommendation, however we are appealing the ruling.

On March 3, 2004, John Gilmore donated $100,000 to a Catalyst Fund to help new projects get started, with the first project being the UMass Amherst production facility (sums spent from this fund will be replaced with money raised for each project so that new projects can continually be catalyzed). An additional $400,000 will be needed in order to outfit and run the UMass Amherst facility for the first year of operation.

MAPS, in partnership with CaNORML, is seeking to conduct further research into marijuana vaporizers. Unfortunately, MAPS has been unable to purchase 10 grams of marijuana from NIDA for this research despite jumping through regulatory hurdles since 2003.

As a result, this laboratory research has been stalled even though FDA has permitted the use of a marijuana vaporizer in a clinical study conducted by Dr. Donald Abrams, UC San Francisco (HTML or PDF Format). We are currently struggling in a court battle for a permit for the facility and are not actively seeking funds for this project at this time.

MAPS is conducting an outcome study of the use of ibogaine-assisted therapyin the treatment of opiate addiction in 30 subjects that is taking place at Pangea Biomedics in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico. At present, there is relatively little data that rigorously evaluates the long-term outcome of ibogaine-assisted therapy in the treatment of addiction.

This study has all regulatory approval in place and is fully funded. Over half of the subjects have been enrolled. By making a donation today you can help expand this research further.

Donations of any amount are most appreciated.