Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD, passed away at 9AM CEST on Tuesday April 29, 2008 at his home in Basel, Switzerland. Cause of death was a heart attack; two caretakers were there with him at the time. MAPS President Rick Doblin said, "[Albert and I] spoke on the phone the day after the Basel conference and he was happy and fulfilled. He'd seen the renewal of LSD psychotherapy research with his own eyes, as had [his wife] Anita. I said that I looked forward to discussing the results of the study with him in about a year and a half and he laughed and said he'd try to help the research however he could, either from this side or "the other side".

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a membership-based, IRS-approved 501 (c) (3) non-profit research and educational organization. We assist scientists to design, fund, obtain approval for and report on studies into the risks and benefits of MDMA, psychedelic drugs and marijuana.

MAPS' mission is to sponsor scientific research designed to develop psychedelics and marijuana into FDA-approved prescription medicines, and to educate the public honestly about the risks and benefits of these drugs. Read our strategy statement for more information.

We need your support so together we can make a difference. In addition to general membership donations, MAPS is seeking to raise funds for specific research projects. These are our funding priorities and here are our financial reports.

For background reading, see MAPS President Rick Doblin's doctoral dissertation (Harvard, Kennedy School of Govt., 2001) "Regulation of the Medical Use of Psychedelics and Marijuana," visit our media and audio/visual archives, or peruse the latest issue of the MAPS Bulletin and our monthly news update.

	5/4/08	The Sunday Times (London) recently published "Ecstasy is the Key to Treating PTSD," an in-depth piece on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in people with PTSD, focusing on Dr. Mithoefer's MAPS-supported study and featuring quotes from MAPS president Rick Doblin and British psychiatrist Ben Sessa.
	4/30/08	Albert Hofmann Obituaries Gaia Media London Times London Telegraph Chicago Tribune NY Times LA Times Washington Post CNN Reuters SFGate NZZ (German language only) Gaia Media Memorial of Albert Hofmann
	4/20/08	The April 2008 MAPS Email News Update is now available online. This issue, written by David Jay Brown, discusses - among other things - new developments spawned by MAPS participation in the WPF 2008, the recent Paris Hallucinations conference, the potential for a new MAPS sponsored MDMA/PTSD study in France, the 2007 Entheon Village report, MAPS' Psychedelic Emergency Services programs, Sasha Shulgin's recent open-heart surgery, and the fantastic new art for sale in the MAPS Webstore from Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, Brummbaer, and Dean Chamberlain. Hope that your April 20th was GREAT!
	4/15/08	The much awaited Entheon Village 2007 Final Report is now available online. The 2007 final report also includes some information about plans for Entheon Village 2008. For this coming year, Entheon will focus more attention and energy on enhancing the experience of the people who camp in the village, and will de-emphasize offering music and dancing in all-night parties. Entheon will still offer the Burning Man community a public lecture series, holotropic breathwork sessions, some music and dancing, places to view art, and a zendo for meditation. Since Entheon will not be such a noise-generating Village, a location closer to center camp has been requested.
	3/16/08	Interview with really cool animations between Daniel Pinchbeck's Post Modern Times webzine and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) Director, Rick Doblin.
	12/24/07	Washington Post magazine published an article featured as the cover story about MAPS' and Dr. Michael Mithoefer's MDMA-PTSD research entitled "Peace Drug" - You can also read the comments about this article here.
	12/5/07	Dr. Peter Gasser's MAPS-sponsored study evaluating LSD-assisted psychotherapy for subjects with anxiety secondary to advanced-stage illness received final approval from the BAG (Swiss DEA) on December 5, Ethics Committee (Swiss IRB equivalent) approval on October 30 and SwissMedic (Swiss FDA equivalent) clearance on November 8. This study -- the first to evaluate LSD's therapeutic applications in over 35 years -- will be initiated in early 2008.

MAPS is pleased to present the original work of two amazing Visionary Artists: Roberto Venosa and Dean Chamberlain. We are now proudly offering four special signed and numbered limited-edition prints from Dean Chamberlain's Psychedelic Pioneers series (at left), as well as limited-edition prints of Robert Venosa's portrait of Albert Hofmann, signed by Albert Hofmann himself (at right). Proceeds from the sale of these portraits will be equally divided between MAPS-sponsored psychedelic research and the respective artists.

Both Dean Chamberlain's portraits of Albert Hofmann, Laura Huxley, Ann & Sasha Shulgin and Ram Dass as well as Roberto Venosa's portrait of Albert Hofmann are all available for purchase in the MAPS Online Store. These portraits are not only a good investment and would look great on your wall, but they are also a major fundraising tool for MAPS' research projects!