Preparing for a Post-Prohibition World with Rick Doblin (San Francisco, California)

December 2, 2016

From the event website:

Join Rick Doblin, Ph.D., founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) for a conversation about what inspired him to found MAPS in 1986, the current state of MAPS drug development plan for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, and the future of psychedelic-assisted therapy. This presentation will discuss results from the Phase 2 MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD studies, and the transition to Phase 3 clinical trails. Also discussed will be the ongoing studies for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a terminal illness, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for social anxiety in autistic adults, and medical marijuana for PTSD. The conversation will conclude with a discussion about regulation of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy post-approval and what that would mean for therapists, the plan to build a network of in-patient psychedelic clinic treatment centers, how the Zendo Project and harm reduction can help us prepare for a post-prohibition world, and the consequences of the presidential election on our planning.

This event is an educational program of the CIIS Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research in collaboration with CIIS Public Programs & Performances.


Rick Doblin, Ph.D., is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). He received his doctorate in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he wrote his dissertation on the regulation of the medical uses of psychedelics and marijuana and his Master’s thesis on a survey of oncologists about smoked marijuana vs. the oral THC pill in nausea control for cancer patients. His undergraduate thesis at New College of Florida was a 25-year follow-up to the classic Good Friday Experiment, which evaluated the potential of psychedelic drugs to catalyze religious experiences. He also conducted a thirty-four year follow-up study to Timothy Leary’s Concord Prison Experiment. Rick studied with Dr. Stanislav Grof and was among the first to be certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner. His professional goal is to help develop legal contexts for the beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana, primarily as prescription medicines but also for personal growth for otherwise healthy people, and eventually to become a legally licensed psychedelic therapist. He founded MAPS in 1986, and currently resides in Boston with his wife and one of three children (two in college).

For more information, visit the event website.