Letter from the Editor...

Endings and beginnings have characterized Spring 2000. The death, from brain cancer, of beloved writer and psychedelic figurehead Terence McKenna saddened all who loved him and were inspired by him. (p. 6 & p. 20)

As Summer overtakes us, MAPS' staff is changing. After many months of writing his dissertation, Rick Doblin will once again be focusing full-time on MAPS. Rick has kept up his incredible pace throughout the final stages of his Ph.D. work. He will turn his attention to fundraising for three main studies needing immediate support. The first is the MDMA-assisted therapy study in Spain, with women survivors of sexual assault. The Spanish research team has been joined by an American therapist experienced with MDMA in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder associated with rape. ( p. 2) The second study, investigating psilocybin in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, has received FDA approval. MAPS is purchasing the psilocybin for this project. (p. 2) The third study looks into the effectiveness of vaporizers in delivering cannabinoids from whole cannabis. It will be co-sponsored with California NORML.

I am leaving my position as MAPS' Communications Director to move to California. As a west-coast liason for MAPS, I'll continue to manage the MAPS website and co-edit with Jon Hanna the upcoming Creativity issue of the MAPS Bulletin. On August 1, I begin working with DanceSafe, a national organization promoting health and safety in the rave and dance club community. MAPS has been DanceSafe's fiscal sponsor as it applies for its 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Both organizations collaborate in sponsoring the Ecstasy pill testing project, which tests pills for free (this project was made possible in part by a grant from Promind Foundation). My work at DanceSafe will be similar in nature to what I've done for MAPS, but in some ways I feel like I'm going out of the frying pan into the fire. MAPS' work, although controversial, is less controversial than harm reduction. During this time of media frenzy over raves and dance drugs and corresponding bills in Congress, that fact is clear. When I started at MAPS in 1993, I knew nothing about the therapeutic application of psychedelics and marijuana, much less drug policy reform. I've spent my 20s learning about our society's love-hate relationship with psychoactive drugs, and the challenges we face in demarcating individual and societal responsibilities regarding them. Now this work is taking me West, to a state considered a crucible for many progressive ideas. Maggie Hall, long-time friend of MAPS, is learning the details of daily operations at MAPS, and will be replacing me in July.

This issue includes a follow-up to the 1997 MAPS article, "Ethical Care in Psychedelic Work," by Kylea Taylor. The author of this follow-up, Gary Fisher, Ph.D., shares his perspective on the responsibilities of the sitter during psychedelic therapy sessions. (p. 4) On page 10 is a list of all the new pages on the recently revised MAPS website. We are trying to make it more user-friendly and easily navigable. There are also short video clips from the 1999 MDMA conference held in Israel that can now be viewed on the site. An impromptu qualitative survey of 2C-T-7 users (p. 11) and a review of the "T2K" Toward a Science of Consciousness conference (p. 14) finish out this issue.

With renewed energy, our office continues its effort to support research projects that take so many years to develop and start. During this time of endings and beginnings, we are grateful for the support for MAPS that we know runs deep among its members.

Sylvia Thyssen, MAPS Bulletin Editor