Rick Doblin has been called the Timothy Leary of our time - a Harvard-trained psychedelic drug proponent with a lot to say. But this ain't the '60s, and in the '00s it takes professionalism, science, and money to make things happen. Doblin, 39, has donned the suit and tie to help spearhead funding and federal approval for the first government-sanctioned psychotherapy study using ecstasy on humans in nearly 20 years. The Florida native resisted the Vietnam War-era draft, enrolled in college with the goal of becoming an LSD therapist, took too much LSD, dropped out, re-enrolled, graduated in the '80s, and headed off to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he earned a master's degree. He also established the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 1986 to battle the federal government's criminalization of ecstasy. The organization grew to become perhaps the foremost funding and support group for scientists who want to open the door to legitimate research using psychedelic drugs. Doblin was on NORML's Board of Directors from 1996-2000. Somewhere along the way, as ecstasy (a.k.a. MDMA) and rave culture reached the mainstream consciousness in the late '90s, Doblin became an oft-quoted spokesperson for the stimulating, psychedelic drug (first synthesized in 1912). In 2001, Doblin received a Ph.D. in public policy from the Kennedy School. The subject of his dissertation? Government regulation of research on illicit drugs.

Dennis Romero

CityBeat: You've dedicated much of your life to opening the door for legitimate research on ecstasy. Why?

Rick Doblin: Back in 1972, when I was 19, I made the decision to devote myself to becoming a psychedelic psychotherapist and researcher. As a Jew growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust, I had been aware from an early age that much of our social life is the product of the manipulation by political leaders of irrational and often unconscious fears, insecurities, and prejudices, often leading to scapegoating. As an American growing up in the shadow of the nuclear arms race and environmental degradation, it was clear that the human species was at risk due to technological developments that far outpaced our emotional abilities to handle them safely. I saw the potential of these drugs to help people establish a spiritual/mystical connection to our core commonalties, enabling people to rise above their parochial identifications, thereby reducing conflicts based on nationality, religion, race, gender, and culture.

What do your colleagues at Harvard think of your fascination with this drug?

When I was working on my dissertation, I felt a great deal of support and appreciation for my topic, both from fellow students and faculty, who generally considered my focus on MDMA to be sort of edgy, legitimate, and important. MAPS is currently involved in donating to Harvard Medical School in an effort to resume clinical research with psychedelics, research which hasn’t taken place at Harvard since 1965, due to the negative reaction to the controversies from the Timothy Leary era.

What's the latest with your efforts to see ecstasy research conducted on humans?

A MAPS-sponsored pilot study to explore the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been approved by the FDA and an Institutional Review Board. And the South Carolina Dept. of Health and Environmental Control has issued a license to conduct research to Dr. [Michael] Mithoefer, the psychiatrist conducting the study. The last approval required before we can begin the study is for the DEA to give Dr. Mithoefer a Schedule I license to handle the MDMA to be used in the study.

What is the goal of this research?

The goal of this research is to gather preliminary information about the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in 20 PTSD patients so that we can refine our treatment approach and develop a treatment manual that standardizes the therapy.

Why are you so gung ho about ecstasy?

It's got unique and incredible therapeutic potential, and has the pharmacological properties and safety profile to become the first psychedelic to be successfully integrated into psychiatry and psychology. If used wisely, MDMA can be remarkably beneficial in other contexts as well, from creativity enhancement to recreational and spiritual uses. For example, smaller doses are a great aid to meditation.

You mentioned that there could be a new generation of psychedelic research at Harvard, but one far different from the days of Dr. Timothy Leary. Can you explain?

In the early days of psychedelic research at Harvard, from 1960-1963, the initial flush of enthusiasm resulted in a certain over-optimism about the potential of these drugs. There was too much of an emphasis on the positive aspects of the experiences and not enough on the difficult struggles people sometimes had to work through. There was the hope that psychedelics were "magic bullets," and that a single dose could be sufficient to produce a cure for a substantial proportion of patients with a wide range of psychiatric conditions and, for "healthy" people, could produce instant and long-lasting "enlightenment." Tim Leary became so engaged in the political struggles of his day that he was willing to misrepresent the findings of his research in the opposite direction.

What will you teach your children about psychedelic drugs?

Even though they are only 9, 7, and 5, I've already started teaching them that psychedelics can be very useful tools to learn more about their thinking and their feelings. I've told them that all drugs can be dangerous, even alcohol and tobacco, but that drugs themselves aren't inherently good or evil and that what matters most is the relationship people establish with drugs.

The debunking of Dr. George Ricaurte's work [which falsely claimed ecstasy causes brain damage] must have been good news for you.

The retraction of his research in MDMA and dopamine triggered a reanalysis of his research on MDMA and serotonin, which has also been shown to have been so methodologically flawed as to be worthless. But the laws passed in part of the basis on his risk estimates remain.

In a recent report in CityBeat, we outlined the recent decline of mega-raves in Los Angeles and blame at least some of it on so-called "ecstasy burnout." Do you agree?

What you reported is accurate but I don't think it was comprehensive or balanced regarding the entire rave movement. There's no discussion of anyone who has a sustainable relationship with MDMA that incorporates responsible use over time. It's a rather bleak portrait. The people who have integrated MDMA and raves into an enduring practice tend to do so outdoors, in settings that are invitation-only, and weren't part of your report.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has stepped up its campaign against club drugs. Do you think it's been effective? Is their message of ecstasy causing depression true?

What we've seen is only a hint of what's to come. Comcast just donated $51 million of free ad space over three years to the Partnership exclusively for anti-ecstasy ads. I think their ads tend to be so exaggerated that they aren't that effective. As far as MDMA causing depression, I think it's more accurate to say that MDMA can contribute to depression. MDMA is not without risks, its just the frequency of these negative outcomes is vastly exaggerated.

As someone with his finger on the pulse of psychoactive drugs, people must ask you what the next big designer drug is. Any ideas?

From my perspective, what's most needed and what is coming are not new molecules but new legal-social contexts for the use of molecules we already have. That said, I'd look for new drugs that affect concentration and memory in positive ways, such as improvements on methamphetamine like 4-methyl aminorex, which promote intellectual work but have an MDMA-like undertone to help people explore difficult and challenging topics that they might otherwise be too anxious or fearful and insecure to consider.

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