[MAPS] MAPS News: September 2006

[Jag Davies]

To read this in html, click here: http://www.maps.org/news


MAPS Members, Supporters, and Friends,

Following MAPS' 20th anniversary gathering at Burning Man, the MAPS staff is
dusty and sleep-deprived, yet immensely fulfilled, and enthused by the
breadth of support that we received. Now, we're looking forward to
initiating MDMA/PTSD pilot studies in Switzerland and Israel and a
long-awaited long-term observational case study of ibogaine treatment for
opiate-dependent subjects. We're also eagerly awaiting a recommendation from
the DEA Administrative Law Judge in Prof. Craker's lawsuit for a
MAPS-sponsored pharmaceutical-grade marijuana production facility -- it
might come any day!

Here's the news:

1. MAPS' 20th Anniversary Gathering: Celebrating Progress and Planning for
the Future 
2. Psychedelic Emergency Services at Burning Man and Portugal's Boom
Festival
3. Final Approval for MAPS-Sponsored Long-Term Ibogaine Observational Case
Study
4. Swiss Ethics Committee Approves Addendum to MAPS-Sponsored MDMA/PTSD
Study
5. MDMA Arrives On-Site for Israeli MDMA/PTSD Study
6. MAPS-Sponsored Marijuana Production Facility Hanging in Balance, Awaiting
Imminent Recommendation from DEA Judge
7. In the Media: Chicago Sun-Times Reports on LSD/Psilocybin Cluster
Headache Research 
8. New at the MAPS Store: Grof's Ultimate Journey, 2007 Wall Calendar, and
New Selection of Classic MAPS Shirts and Hoodies
9. Autumn 2006 MAPS Bulletin: Coming Soon


*** For MAPS Merchandise and Membership, Visit the MAPS Online Store:
http://www.maps.org/catalog ***


1. MAPS' 20th Anniversary Gathering: Celebrating Progress and Planning for
the Future 

To commemorate our 20th anniversary, MAPS hosted a theme camp at Burning
Man, Entheon Village, in association with artists Alex and Allyson Grey,
Roberto Venosa, Martina Hoffmann, a community of Zen meditators from
Switzerland, and an amazing team from Chicago that organized the
infrastructure. The camp hosted a four-day lecture series -- featuring Sasha
& Ann Shulgin, Marsha Rosenbaum, Ethan Nadelmann, Rob Kampia, Earth & Fire
Erowid, John Gilmore, and many more -- drawing thousands of curious burners
to our dome for a myriad of drug policy- and psychedelic research and
culture-related presentations. Entheon Village was home to 400 campers,
making it the largest theme camp at this year's festival. In addition, we
coordinated out of Entheon Village a team of volunteers who assisted the
Burning Man Rangers in providing psychedelic emergency services at the
Sanctuary dome (see item #2).

We chose Burning Man as  the site of our 20th Anniversary gathering since it
was a comprehensive example of MAPS in action, with lectures about our
scientific research, a demonstration of our psychedelic harm reduction model
at Sanctuary, the honoring of our psychedelic elders (Ann and Sasha Shulgin,
who were our guests), and a community-building gathering.

We're deeply thankful to everyone at Entheon Village who donated their time,
resources, and sweat to bring this remarkable celebration to fruition. Like
everything else, we couldn't have done it alone. As MAPS navigates through a
delicate and exhilarating transition, with once-distant goals now within
tantalizing reach, this gathering was a refreshing reminder that our
long-term mission is indeed social, as well as political, and must
ultimately be community-based, not just research-based.

For those of you who attended Entheon Village, there is a discussion forum
on Tribe.net posing the question ³What did ya¹ll think of Entheon Village?²:
http://bm.tribe.net/thread/068d32f4-ec15-4790-ab81-a7197c69a22c


2. Psychedelic Emergency Services at Burning Man and Portugal's Boom
Festival

As part of MAPS' educational outreach and harm reduction mission, we
coordinated psychedelic emergency services at Portugal's Boom Festival from
August 3-9. As a result of MAPS' previous work at Burning Man, the festival
organizers awarded MAPS $9600 for staff travel and other expenses, and
provided 23 free tickets and a week¹s worth of food to our eight core team
members and our 15 volunteers. We also helped coordinate harm reduction
services such as pill testing and drug information distribution, for which
the Boom organizers donated an additional six free tickets and food.

Then, from August 28 to September 4, MAPS assisted the Black Rock Rangers to
provide psychedelic emergency services at Burning Man. MAPS Staffer Valerie
Mojeiko coordinated the training of over 30 volunteers for Sanctuary,
assisted by about eight core staff with psychedelic psychotherapy
experience. We cared for over 100 people going through difficult emotional
and psychological experiences, some psychedelic-related, and some not.

The projects at Burning Man and Boom serve as a training program for MAPS'
psychedelic therapists, a rare opportunity for researchers to spend time
working alongside each other with people who are in a psychedelic-induced
state. At Burning Man, researchers Michael Mithoefer, M.D. (US MDMA/PTSD
study), Andrew Sewell, M.D. (Harvard LSD/psilocybin cluster headache study),
and Rakefet Rodrigez, M.D. (Israel MDMA/PTSD study), worked alongside one
another along with students, therapists, mental health professionals, MAPS
staffers, and other trained volunteers. In at least three instances, the
Sanctuary staff members were able to divert individuals away from being sent
to prison or a mental hospital, a potentially traumatizing situation in and
of itself. 

One key limiting factor of this year's Sanctuary was its small size -- we
were only able to comfortably house 6-8 visitors at a given time, many of
whom required personal care from one or two volunteers extending for many
hours. In addition, the Sanctuary space and the availability of the services
provided are still not widely known by Burning Man attendees. Next year,
there is a good possibility that Sanctuary will be moving to a larger space,
perhaps a new dome provided by the Rangers or the structure donated by Vanja
Palmers that served as a meditation Zendo in Entheon Village this year. The
San Francisco Chronicle actually published an article about the Zendo
structure on September 2:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/02/HOG39KRNH51.DTL


3. Final Approval for MAPS-Sponsored Long-Term Ibogaine Observational Case
Study

After years of work and a number of significant changes to the original
protocol, on August 17 a MAPS-sponsored research team received
"unconditional approval" from a Canadian Institutional Review Board (IRB) to
proceed with a long-term observational case study that will examine changes
in substance use in 20 consecutive people seeking ibogaine-based addiction
treatment for opiate dependence at Iboga Therapy House in Vancouver. The
Principal Investigator is MAPS President Rick Doblin, Ph.D., and he'll be
aided by Dr. Ken Alper and MAPS Research Associate Ilsa Jerome, Ph.D.

The Iboga Therapy House will now begin active recruitment of subjects:
http://www.ibogatherapyhouse.net

MAPS Ibogaine Page: http://www.maps.org/ibogaine/


4. MAPS-Sponsored Swiss MDMA/PTSD Study Awaiting Final Approval for Addendum

Dr. Peter Oehen's MAPS-sponsored MDMA/PTSD study has full government
approval and the first subject began the screening process last week. The
Ethics Committee (the Swiss IRB equivalent, which previously approved Dr.
Oehen's MDMA/PTSD protocol) met on September 7 to review an addendum to the
protocol, and we just learned today, September 12, that the IRB has granted
approval, meaning that the study can now officially be initiated!

The addendum is for an associated study by Dr. Franz Vollenweider,
University of Zurich, that will examine subjects before and after treatment
with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Dr. Vollenweider is going to measure
several physiological factors that have been associated with PTSD (startle
response, heart rate reactivity) as well as various EEG parameters to see if
the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy results in any changes in these measures.

The first applicant for the study will be administered baseline CAPS and PDS
tomorrow, and, now that we have full approval, we hope to report shortly
that the first subject has been treated with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Dr. Oehen¹s MDMA/PTSD protocol:
http://www.maps.org/mdma/swissptsd/protocol011806.pdf


5. MDMA Arrives On-Site for Israeli MDMA/PTSD Study

The MAPS-sponsored Phase II pilot study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in
subjects with treatment-resistant war- and terrorism-related posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in Israel, under the direction of Moshe Kotler, M.D.,
former chief psychiatrist of the Israeli Defense Forces, has full government
approval and will begin recruitment for subjects this fall. Last month, five
grams of MDMA purchased by MAPS for the study cleared customs and arrived
on-site at Beer Yakhov Mental Health Center near Tel Aviv, on a day when
more than 230 missiles were fired by Hezbollah into Israel, causing a
substantial amount of trauma. Co-therapist Rael Strous, M.D., has been
setting up the necessary equipment at the research site, while co-therapist
Rakefet Rodrigez, M.D., joined MAPS at Burning Man to receive training while
working in Sanctuary.

Israeli MDMA/PTSD protocol:
http://www.maps.org/mdma/israel_protocol_3.16.05.pdf


6. MAPS-Sponsored Marijuana Production Facility Hanging in Balance, Awaiting
Imminent Recommendation from DEA Judge

It has now been four months since lawyers representing MAPS and DEA filed
final legal briefs in Prof. Lyle Craker's lawsuit against the DEA for
refusing to license a proposed MAPS-sponsored marijuana production facility
at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. MAPS and medical marijuana
reform advocates nationwide are eagerly awaiting a recommendation from DEA
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Mary Ellen Bittner, expected within the next
two months. 

In the meantime, we are focusing our attention on preparing to pressure the
DEA to accept Judge Bittner's recommendation if she actually recommends that
the DEA should issue a Schedule I license to Prof. Craker. Towards this end,
MAPS is working with David Ostrow, M.D., who is funded by the Marijuana
Policy Project (MPP), to lobby the American Medical Association (AMA) to
pass a two-fold resolution at this November's annual meeting. The first part
of the resolution says that privately-funded, FDA-approved research into
marijuana's potential therapeutic uses should be encouraged, and that
privately-funded production facilities that meet all regulatory requirements
should be licensed by DEA to produce pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for use
exclusively in FDA- and DEA-approved research. The second part of the
resolution says that in states where patients are permitted to use medical
marijuana for serious and/or chronic illnesses and the patient's physician
has recommended its use in accordance with that state¹s medical practice
standards, that patients should not be subject to federal criminal penalties
for such appropriate medical use.

Prof. Craker's proposed facility would end the government's six decades-long
monopoly on the production of marijuana for research purposes. This
MAPS-funded facility would create the necessary independence of supply to
justify the time and expense for MAPS to sponsor clinical research
evaluating the risks and benefits of marijuana as a potential FDA-approved
prescription medicine.
 
If we do receive a positive recommendation, we will need all MAPS supporters
to contact their Congressional Representatives, so look out for an important
announcement sometime in the next two months!
 
For more information, see MAPS' DEA Lawsuit page:
http://www.maps.org/mmj/dealawsuit.html


7. In the Media: Chicago Sun-Times Reports on LSD/Psilocybin Cluster
Headache Research

On August 16, Chicago Sun-Times Health Reporter Jim Ritter published "Pain
Sufferer Turns to 'Shrooms'." The article describes the use of psilocybin as
a treatment for cluster headaches and Dr. Andrew Sewell's research at
Harvard/McLean Hospital investigating LSD and psilocybin as treatment for
subjects with cluster headache, a rare and extremely painful condition. It
also tells the story of Clusterbusters founder Bob Wold, one of several
hundred reported cluster headache sufferers who have found unique and
lasting relief by using LSD and/or psilocybin.

Read Jim Ritter's "Pain Sufferer Turns to 'Shrooms'" here:
http://www.maps.org/sys/nq.pl?id=964&fmt=page

For more information, see MAPS¹ LSD/Psilocybin Page:
http://www.maps.org/research/cluster/psilo-lsd/#cluster


8. New at the MAPS Store: Grof's Ultimate Journey, 2007 Wall Calendar, and
New Selection of Classic MAPS Shirts and Hoodies

We're pleased to announce several additions to the MAPS Online Store:

~Dr. Stanislav Grof's latest book, The Ultimate Journey -- Consciousness and
the Mystery of Death:
http://www.maps.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22_27&products_id=109

Dr. Grof, author of LSD Psychotherapy and originator of Holotropic
Breathwork, offers a wealth of perspectives on how we can enrich and
transform the experience of dying in our culture. This 356 page book
features 40 pages of images, 24 in color, and a foreword by Huston Smith.
This book is especially pertinent considering that MAPS has been working on
protocols for studies investigating MDMA- and LSD-assisted therapy as
treatment for end-of-life anxiety.

~2007 MAPS wall calendar:
http://www.maps.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=110

A new array of dazzling psychedelic-inspired artwork from Roberto Venosa,
Martina Hoffmann, Alex & Allyson Grey, Dean Chamberlain, and others, plus
expanded notable dates in psychedelic and drug history. Grab a few and
spread awareness of MAPS and great art! Or do yourself a favor and get a
head-start on holiday gifting!

~New selection of high-quality classic MAPS shirts and hoodies:
http://www.maps.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=23

We've upgraded our t-shirt and hoodie offerings -- higher-quality, softer,
thicker, more durable material. Plus, new sizes and colors -- bluestone and
pine t-shirts, deep forest hoodies, and youth large sizes in addition to
adult S-XXL. Support MAPS, spread awareness, and look good at the same time!

~Also, we're still selling signed and numbered limited edition Dean
Chamberlain portraits of psychedelic pioneers Ram Dass, Ann & Sasha Shulgin,
Laura Huxley, and Albert Hofmann. These portraits are a major fundraising
tool for MAPS' research projects and a good investment. View and purchase
these exquisite pieces of art here:
http://www.maps.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=24_29


9. Autumn 2006 MAPS Bulletin: Coming Soon

MAPS members, keep an eye out in about three weeks for the Autumn 2006
edition of the MAPS Bulletin. Also expect a special end-of-the-year issue in
December.


Wishing You A Serendipitous September,
Jag 


--
Jag Davies
Director of Communications
MAPS
10424 Love Creek Rd.
Ben Lomond, CA 95005
jag at maps.org 

**********************************************************
Advocating Science over Politics,
Replacing Fear with Facts:
MAPS ~ The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Support our Cause: http://www.maps.org/catalog




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