Since 1995, The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has disbursed over three million dollars to worthy research and educational projects.

We need your support because only together we can make a difference.

Donations can be restricted to specific project funds or given to MAPS' general operational fund.

click here for main MDMA page

MAPS has a comprehensive $5 million, 5-year strategy, outlined in a Clinical Plan to develop MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Developing MDMA into an FDA-approved prescription medicine is MAPS' top priority, for reasons fully discussed in the Clinical Plan.

MAPS' MDMA psychotherapy research agenda was featured most recently in a thorough and remarkably favorable cover article in the November 25, 2007 issue of the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, with the article entitled, "The Peace Drug." Prior to that, MAPS MDMA research has been discussed in an April 1, 2004 news story on ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, in a May 13, 2004 report in the scientific journal Nature, in a May 2, 2005 article in Newsweek, Ecstasy: A Possible New Role for A Banned Club Drug and in a May 15, 2006 article in the Boston Globe, A Good Death.

For 2008, MAPS is seeking to raise $100,000 for the completion of our US MDMA/PTSD study being conducted in Charleston, SC by Dr. Michael and Annie Mithoefer. Donations of any amount are most appreciated. This study is designed to explore the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in 21 subjects with treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was approved after 18 years of long and expensive struggle.This is the first FDA-approved study of the therapeutic use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. The final subject will be treated in July, 2008. Then we'll analyze the data and write up the results for publication.

MAPS is also raising funds for MDMA research by selling limited-edition portraits of Sasha and Ann Shulgin by Dean Chamberlain, signed by Sasha and Ann.

Internationally, MAPS is sponsoring an MDMA/PTSD study in Israel in subjects who have war and/or terrorism-related PTSD, led by Moshe Kotler, MD, former chief psychiatrist of the Israeli Defense Forces. This study is has full government approval and has already enrolled the first subject.

In Switzerland, MAPS is co-sponsoring an MDMA/PTSD study in partnership with a group of Swiss psychiatrists, the Swiss Medical Association for Psycholytic Therapy. This study, to be conducted by Dr. Peter Oehen, has full government approval and has now treated five subjects.

The FDA has agreed to accept the data from the Swiss and Israeli studies as part of MAPS' Investigational New Drug application for MDMA in the treatment of PTSD, and therefore fits into MAPS' mission of developing MDMA into a prescription medication approved by both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.

In addition, MAPS is seeking to restart an MDMA/PTSD study in Spain that was shut down prematurely due to political pressure, despite no adverse effects and some preliminary promising signs of efficacy. We hope to start this study by mid-2009. MAPS is also in the early stages of the protocol design and approval process for a Canadian MDMA/PTSD study.

In April 2006, Philanthropist Peter Lewis decided to donate $250,000 directly to McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, for a study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with anxiety associated with advanced-stage cancer. MAPS helped design and obtain approval for this study. Prior grants to MAPS for this study in the amount of $90,000 were obtained from two anonymous family foundations.

MAPS has already received grants of $500,000 from Peter Lewis for our US and international MDMA/PTSD studies. Additional grants for MAPS' MDMA/PTSD research have been received from John Gilmore ($113,000), the Robert Keeler Foundation ($107,000), Vanja Palmers ($100,000), Anonymous Family Foundation ($60,000), Anonymous Family Foundation ($58,000), Ashawna Hailey ($45,000), bequest from the estate of Lyn Ehrnstein ($35,000), Overbrook Foundation ($35,000), Libra Foundation ($25,000), Anja Saunders ($13,800), Zimmer Family Foundation ($10,000), Richard Wolfe ($10,000), Tim Butcher ($8,000), June Blewitt ($5,000), Michael Ziegler ($5,000), Joby Pritzker ($5,000), and others.

click here for main LSD/Psilocybin page

MAPS and Dr. Peter Gasser have signed a Memorandum of Understanding about our working together on the design of a study to investigate LSD-assisted psychotherapy in 12 subjects suffering from anxiety associated with advanced-stage cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Gasser's MAPS-sponsored study, the first to evaluate LSD's therapeutic applications in over 35 years, will enroll the first subject in April 2008.

The study received final approval from the BAG (Swiss DEA) on December 5, 2007, final approval from the Ethics Committee (Swiss IRB equivalent) on October 30, 2007 and SwissMedic (Swiss FDA equivalent) clearance on November 8, 2007.

Dr. Gasser's study will complement Dr. John Halpern's MAPS-initiated research investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in advanced-stage cancer patients with anxiety, Dr. Charles Grob's Heffter-sponsored research investigating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in cancer patients with anxiety, and a MAPS-sponsored psilocybin/cancer anxiety study still in the approval process to be conducted by Sameet Kumar, Ph.D..

Dr. Gasser's protocol is for a preliminary 12 patient, double-blind study designed to gather basic information on safety and efficacy for this patient population. This study will also be used to guide in the development of our treatment approach. Though there has been substantial prior research with LSD in cancer patients that demonstrated safety and some degree of efficacy, that research was conducted over 35 years ago. In order to generate data that will be accepted by today's regulatory agencies, new protocols must meet modern drug development standards. Research must start from scratch and build carefully.

Dr. Gasser's MAPS-sponsored study will cost an estimated $225,000, of which $125,000 has already been raised with another $100,000 remaining to be donated. Generous donations have been made by Robert Barnhart ($75,000), Kevin Herbert ($18,750), Vanja Palmers ($10,000), Fredi Muller (10,000 SF), Amanda Fielding (5000 Euros), Anonymous ($5,000). The Swiss Medical Association for Psycholytic Therapy (SAEPT) and the Beckley Foundation are co-sponsors of this study, with SAEPT offering tax-deductions for Swiss donors (SAEPT C/O Dr. Peter Gasser Hauptbahnhofstrasse 5 CH-4500 Solothurn SWITZERLAND Tel. 032 622 40 20) and the Beckley Foundation able to offer tax-deductions to British donors (The Beckley Foundation Beckley Park Oxford OX3 9SY England p. +44 (0) 1865 351 209 info@beckleyfoundation.org). As always, MAPS can offer tax-deductions to US taxpayers.

Here are a variety of study costs that you can support. Sponsor One Subject, all associated costs–$18,750; Sponsor One LSD Experimental Session, all associated costs –$7,000; One LSD Experimental Session, therapist time only – $2,300 ; All Non-Drug Psychotherapy sessions, each subject –$1,350; Independent Rater, each subject –$450; One Non-Drug Psychotherapy Session – $225 ; Medical Exam, each subject -$150.

Let's make psychedelic history together and help people reduce their anxiety associated with end-of-life issues.

click here for main LSD/Psilocybin page

In November 2003, Bob Wold, a cluster headache patient advocate, approached MAPS to report that an organization of people who experience cluster headaches had obtained more than 50 case reports of people who had found that the informal use of psilocybin and/or LSD helped them to break an existing cycle of cluster headaches. There were also reports that the psilocybin and/or LSD treatment had a prophylactic effect that postponed the recurrence of the next cycle.

In May 2004, Bob Wold arranged for MAPS to receive a donation of $50,000 from David and Marsha Weil for a pilot study investigating the use of LSD and psilocybin in breaking the cycle of cluster headaches and in postponing the recurrence. This project is directed by Dr. John Halpern, Harvard Medical School. As of April 2008, we're currently nearing the conclusion of the protocol design stage. We are seeking an additional $50,000 from multiple donors to match the amount donated by David and Marsha Weil.a pilot study investigating the use of LSD and psilocybin in breaking the cycle of cluster headaches and in postponing the recurrence. This project is being directed by Dr. John Halpern and Dr. Andrew Sewell, Harvard Medical School, and is currently in the early protocol design stage. We are seeking an additional $50,000 from multiple donors to match the amount donated by David and Marsha Weil.

A paper by Andrew Sewell, M.D., coauthored by John Halpern, M.D., and Harrison G. Pope Jr., M.D., describing MAPS-sponsored LSD/psilocybin cluster headache research has been accepted for publication in Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

click here for main Marijuana page

MAPS is seeking to develop marijuana into an FDA-approved prescription medicine. An essential prerequisite to starting a serious drug development effort is to obtain our own independent source of supply of marijuana that can legally be used in research, instead of being forced to rely on research material from NIDA that NIDA has refused to provide. In June 2001, Prof. Lyle Craker, Director, Medicinal Plant Program, UMass Amherst Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, submitted an application to DEA for a permit for a MAPS-sponsored production facility. Due to DEA's unreasonably delays and eventual refusal to grant a license to Prof. Craker, MAPS coordinated a lawsuit against DEA before DEA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Mary Ellen Bittner. On February 12, 2007, DEA ALJ Bittner found that it would be in the public interest for DEA to issue a license to Prof. Craker and recommended the DEA issue the license (PDF). DEA has yet to issue a final ruling in response to ALJ Bittner's recommendation.

On March 3, 2004, John Gilmore donated $100,000 to a Catalyst Fund to help new projects get started, with the first project being the UMass Amherst production facility (sums spent from this fund will be replaced with money raised for each project so that new projects can continually be catalyzed). An additional $400,000 will be needed in order to outfit and run the UMass Amherst facility for the first year of operation.

MAPS, in partnership with CaNORML, is seeking to conduct further research into marijuana vaporizers. Unfortunately, MAPS has been unable despite trying for almost five years to purchase 10 grams of marijuana from NIDA for this research. As a result, this laboratory research has been stalled even though FDA has permitted the use of a marijuana vaporizer in a clinical study conducted by Dr. Donald Abrams, UC San Francisco (HTML or PDF Format).

click here for main Ibogaine page

MAPS is seeking $20,000 for an outcome study of the use of ibogaine-assisted therapy in the treatment of opiate addiction that will take place at the Iboga Therapy House in Vancouver. At present, there is relatively little data that rigorously evaluates the long-term outcome of ibogaine-assisted therapy in the treatment of addiction. This study has been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and has enrolled 5 of 20 subjects. MAPS is also seeking $30,000 for an outcome study of the use of ibogaine-assisted therapy in the treatment of opiate addiction that will take place at the Ibogaine Association, located in Mexico. This study, designed to evaluate 30 subjects, is currently under review by a Mexican Institutional Review Board (IRB).