- December 4, 2000 : A&E 10:00 pm EST. This show is mostly about the smuggling of Ecstasy and the rave movement. A very short interview with Rick Doblin will at least raise the issue of MDMA’s therapeutic potential. A longer segment with Rick in which he talked about a woman who used MDMA with her father to help them cope with his terminal illness (cancer) was initially included by the directors but was edited out by network editors which feared that comment might promote the use of MDMA.
- November 30, 2000
- 48 Hours, CBS 8:00 PM EST. The major TV network news show, 48 Hours, filmed an underground MDMA therapy session organized by MAPS as part of an hour-long documentary on MDMA. The patient was Sue Stevens. Her personal accounts of her prior MDMA sessions with her fiancé, Shane, as they faced his terminal illness, are posted on the MAPS website at news-letters/v07n4/07405sue.html. The session that was filmed was focused on grief, and took place close to the year anniversary of Shane’s death.
Watch it in Quicktime format: 28K (5.3 MB) / 56K (10.5 MB)
- MTV 10:00 PM EST. MTV special on Ecstasy (MDMA). This special also features portions of Sue’s underground MDMA therapy session.
Watch it in Quicktime format: 28K (1.9 MB) / 56K (3.7 MB)
- For clarification of some blatantly misleading information from the MTV show about MDMA causing “holes in the brain” of a heavy MDMA user, see the commentary by Rick Doblin.
- Review: “Experiencing a double dose of ecstasy,” Boston Globe
- 48 Hours, CBS 8:00 PM EST. The major TV network news show, 48 Hours, filmed an underground MDMA therapy session organized by MAPS as part of an hour-long documentary on MDMA. The patient was Sue Stevens. Her personal accounts of her prior MDMA sessions with her fiancé, Shane, as they faced his terminal illness, are posted on the MAPS website at news-letters/v07n4/07405sue.html. The session that was filmed was focused on grief, and took place close to the year anniversary of Shane’s death.
- November 29, 2000. “Teen-Age Drug Use Down; Ecstasy Popularity Grows” — “All Things Considered,” National Public Radio. A new report finds that teen-age drug use is down in America for the third straight year. The survey of 12 to 18-year-olds shows more teens are being turned off on marijuana. Fifty-four percent say they feel smoking pot would make them behave foolishly, while fewer believe most people will try marijuana. “This study confirms the trends we’ve seen over the last three years — a steady decline in the number of teen using drugs,” said Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. “This is very good news.” But the sponsor of the study, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, says there’s an increase in one particular narcotic. The use of Ecstasy, a favorite at dance clubs and all-night raves, has doubled among teens since 1995. Steve Dnistrian of the Partnership says teens are experimenting because they think the drug is cool. He says an anti-Ecstasy advertising campaign might turn this perception around. The nonprofit group’s 13th survey questioned 7,290 students in seventh through 12th grades nationwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.
- November 13, 2000. “The Lure of Ecstasy.” By John Cloud and Nijid Hajari, Time Asia.
Note: In this article, Rick Doblin is incorrectly identified as a Boston psychotherapist; as most of you already know, he is instead a Public Policy Ph.D. from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University who has studied extensively the therapeutic use of psychedelics and has been certified by Stan and Christina Grof as a holotropic breathwork practitioner.
- November 9, 2000. “Lucy in the Sky with Therapists.” Wired Magazine takes a look at the underground psychedelic therapy movement.
- November 8, 2000. “The War on the War on Drugs.” Features an interview with Rick Doblin, discussing America’s failed drug war; part of Feed Magazine’s “The Future of Drugs” issue.
- October 10, 2000. “The Drug War’s Tweedledee” Salon Magazine’s article discussing NIDA’s chief Alan Leshner and his coordination with drug czar Barry McCaffrey in fighting their drug war. Features discussion about MDMA, MAPS and comments about NIDA bias by Rick Doblin.
- October 2, 2000. “DanceSafe or Sorry,” an ABC 20/20 Downtown segment about DanceSafe.
DanceSafe’s response to ABC’s questions about their adulterant screening program.- Part 1 (Real Player format)
- Part 2 (Real Player format)
- August 10, 2000. Court TV’s Crier Today feature on MDMA featuring Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Dr. David McDowell, Sue Stevens and Ethan Brown.
- Part 1 (Real Player format)
- Part 2 (Real Player format)
- Transcript of Crier Today in text format
- August 4, 2000. “Can Legalizing Drugs Bring Us Closer to God?” Salon Magazine piece on renowned religious scholar Huston Smith and his increasing involvement in the drug war; includes interview with Rick Doblin.
- July 24, 2000. Rivera Live show about Ecstasy aired on CNBC, featuring discussion between Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Sue Stevens, criminal defense attorney Michael
Nasatir, Nancy Grace of Court TV and Ethan Brown of New York Magazine.- Part 1 (Real Player format)
- Parts 2 & 3 (Real Player format)
- Transcript of Rivera Live
- June 5, 2000. MAPS responds to the TIME magazine article about MDMA
- December 2, 1996. MAPS on C-SPAN. Courtesy of Senator Orrin Hatch.