There is very good news to report regarding MAPS's efforts to obtain permission from the DEA to establish a medical marijuana production facility. I've had a series of meetings this week with Lyle Craker, Ph.D., Professor of Plant and Soil Science at UMASS Amherst and a specialist in medicinal plants; Peter Hutt, JD, among the most respected FDA regulatory lawyers in the country who is a professor of FDA law at Harvard Law School during the January interterm and is a partner in a major DC law firm, Covington and Burling; and Dr. Lester Grinspoon, foremost academic on the medical uses of marijuana.

The outcome of the meetings was that Peter Hutt has agreed to have his firm represent MAPS pro-bono in our efforts to request permission from DEA for MAPS to contract with U. Mass Amherst to establish a medical marijuana production facility under the direction of Prof. Craker. This effort could easily take years and not be successful, but at least we are going forward with a team that has about the best possible chance of obtaining approval from the DEA. It has taken many months to build a team to act upon MAPS' Orphan Drug designation for marijuana for AIDS wasting but I think the long time in building the team was well worth the wait. I'll issue periodic reports on our progress. The next several months will be spent obtaining information from NIDA and DEA about issues/obstacles that need to be addressed in obtaining permission for the facility.

If the facility is eventually permitted, MAPS will need to raise additional funds for the contract with UMass Amherst. Current efforts are being conducted under a grant to MAPS from Peter Lewis.

Rick Doblin

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Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
A membership organizations supporting research with MDMA,
psychedelics and medical marijuana since 1986...