MAPS Bulletin Summer 1989 Vol. 1, No. 2
Several senior psychiatrists in the USSR have expressed an interest in learning about MDMA research. MAPS has offered to coordinate a conference to be held in Moscow in the summer or fall of 1989, and to raise funds to cover the expenses. Dr. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School, Dr. George Ricaurte, and Dr. Jorg Roth (research coordinator for the Swiss psychiatrists) are the intended speakers. It may actually be possible to arrange for collaborative studies in Moscow before FDA permission is granted for U.S. research.
MAPS has recently arranged for a donation of $12,000 to Dr. Joseph Zohar, an Israeli researcher at Ben Gurion University. Dr. Zohar is seeking permission from the Israeli government to investigate the use of MDMA in the treatment of patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders. Dr. Thomas Insel of NIMH has previously worked with Dr. Zohar researching treatments of obsessive-compulsive disorders, and will be reviewing the progress of the research.