A Shameful Conclusion

On November 20, after the Western IRB decided not to review MAPS’ MDMA/PTSD protocol, Rick Doblin spoke to James Baldwin, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Western IRB. Dr. Baldwin informed Rick that he was not authorized to speak about what motivated the Western IRB to decide not to engage in a dialogue about the rationale for WIRB’s decision to revoke approval, to refuse to continue to review the protocol, and to refund MAPS’ fee. Instead, Dr. Baldwin suggested that for more information, Rick should contact Mr. Ron Warren, Senior Vice President of the Western IRB. After Rick Doblin made repeated attempts over several weeks to speak with Mr. Warren, his secretary finally informed Rick Doblin on December 10 that he was unwilling to speak and had nothing to add to the letter. So it ends, with a shameful silence.