The folks at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) did a Reddit AMA yesterday. I’ve curated some of the more informative questions and answers, but you can read the entire thread here.
MAPS introduces themselves with this lengthy but informative opening:
We are the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and we are here to educate the public about research into the risks and benefits of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization founded in 1986 that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
We envision a world where psychedelics and marijuana are safely and legally available for beneficial uses, and where research is governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits.
Some of the topics we’re passionate about include;
Research into the therapeutic potential of MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and marijuana
Integrating psychedelics and marijuana into science, medicine, therapy, culture, spirituality, and policy
Providing harm reduction and education services at large-scale events to help reduce the risks associated with the non-medical use of various drugs
Ways to communicate with friends, family, and the public about the risks and benefits of psychedelics and marijuana
Our vision for a post-prohibition world
Developing psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medicines through FDA-approved clinical research
List of participants:
Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, MAPS
Brad Burge, Director of Communications and Marketing, MAPS
Amy Emerson, Executive Director and Director of Clinical Research, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation
Virginia Wright, Director of Development, MAPS
Brian Brown, Communications and Marketing Associate, MAPS
Sara Gael, Harm Reduction Coordinator, MAPS
Natalie Lyla Ginsberg, Research and Advocacy Coordinator, MAPS
Tess Goodwin, Development Assistant, MAPS
Ilsa Jerome, Ph.D., Research and Information Specialist, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation
Sarah Jordan, Publications Associate, MAPS
Bryce Montgomery, Web and Multimedia Associate, MAPS
Shannon Clare Petitt, Executive Assistant, MAPS
Linnae Ponté, Director of Harm Reduction, MAPS
Ben Shechet, Clinical Research Associate, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation
Allison Wilens, Clinical Study Assistant, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation
Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D., Clinical Research Scientist, MAPS
For more information about scientific research into the medical potential of psychedelics and marijuana, visitmaps.org.
You can support our research and mission by making a donation, signing up for our monthly email newsletter, or following us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
fearachieved writes:
Paranoid Schizophrenic here. I have had massive success treating myself with LSD in the past.
Do you have any research regarding the use of Acid with schizophrenia?
Would you like a research participant? I am prime for the job. I have hundreds of videos of myself in and out of psychosis. I keep a video journal I’ve never shared with anyone. That post is referencing the videos, though since then I still haven’t decided whether to release them or not. I would be fine sharing them with researchers who I was involved with, however, as a way of establishing a baseline and history.
This is something I will pursue with or without your help, it would be great if I could get some advice from people who are more experienced.
MAPSPsychedelic responds:
Thank you for sharing your story, and yes, great idea to record your experiences.
Unfortunately, there isn’t currently any research happening into the use of LSD to treat psychosis. There is some concern within the psychiatric community that LSD use could actually exacerbate symptoms in some individuals with preexisting psychosis, though there is little research to support that claim. For that reason, your positive experiences with LSD are even more fascinating.
If you have had clinically significant reductions in psychotic symptoms after using LSD on your own, and would like to write an account of your experiences, we would be happy to share it on maps.org. Let us know!
-Brad Burge, Director of Communications and Marketing, MAPS
NatureOxygen writes:
Would you encourage the use of psychedelics for occasional recreation, or are you dedicated to promoting these substances purely as medicine?
MAPSPsychedelic responds:
I don’t encourage anybody to do psychedelics for any purpose whatsoever. I think that people should be free to make up their own minds based on accurate, complete, and honest information. I do acknowledge that for me, personal experiences with psychedelics have been transformative and I wouldn’t consider them medical. Recreational use has been given a bad name, considered hedonistic and extraordinarily dangerous.
I think, for example, the celebratory use of psychedelics at festivals and concerts can be profoundly healing and inspirational. At the same time, MAPS is focused on providing psychedelic harm reduction services because people sometimes take these substances just for recreation and then deeper material rises to the surface. The use of these drugs explicitly for recreation with the intention of only having an easy happy experience is in some ways a recipe for disaster.
A deeper respect for the intention of these drugs should be involved even if the purpose is celebratory and recreational. For non-medical use to be as safe as possible we need to move to some sort of legalized setting so people can know what they’re getting. The distinction between medical and recreational is in some senses artificial. Sasha Shulgin used to say, there should be no such thing as a casual experiment with psychedelics.
-Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, MAPS
noly101 asks:
Do you foresee a populist movement towards the legalization of psychedelics or will they always be either prescribed or found on the black market?
MAPSPsychedelic responds:
Yes, I do see a populist movement working towards the legalization of psychedelics beyond medical use and up from the underground black market, similar to what we’ve seen from marijuana. However marijuana has much broader popular support. Psychedelic legalization won’t necessarily be just a populist movement because it is influenced by the disillusionment of the benefits of prohibition by policy makers. I think forums like reddit will be instrumental in building support for the populist movement. Young people should not underestimate their ability to facilitate social change.
-Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, MAPS
MAPSPsychedelic writes:
A long question was deleted, so I am reposting the question without any identifying information about the person who asked:
Firstly, do you have plans or opinions on research into Mescaline? As I find it provides a very similar (more useful in someways, less in others) kind of experience to MDMA, only less forceful/immediate.
Mescaline is the most important psychedelic that is not currently being researched. We don’t currently have any plans to study mescaline in synthetic form, nor does anybody else that I’m aware of, simply for lack of resources. My early experience with psychedelics included lots of synthetic mescaline back in 71-72 and I have a special fondness for it.
Do you see psychedelics and MDMA ever becoming legally available? What are your plans or opinions on research into therapeutic 2C-B use? I ask for the opposite reason I asked about Mescaline, as I tried 2C-B after reading of it’s therapeutic promise in PiHKAL, but actually found it quite destructive to a good mental state I had myself in.
I just gave a presentation in Esalen on Saturday and one of the questions there was about 2C-B. It’s not practical for us to start research with 2C-B because there’s not a lot of basic safety studies that have already been conducted as there are with MDMA, psilocybin, and marijuana. To start with a relatively new substance that requires government funding to determine its risks which we can’t afford. It’s got a lot of potential and I’m curious that you found it destructive. My guess is that it had more to do with subjective factors/situational rather than 2C-B being inherently destructive.
Finally, what are your thoughts on the ‘Magic’ of MDMA, and how it seems to fade with repeated use. I cherish MDMA and find it very beneficial with infrequent use, but despite this and despite pre- and post-loading I’m struggling to have consistently good experiences with it as I did on my first three uses. How do you feel about claims of potential MDMA neurotoxicity too? After one single 120mg dose I feel pretty ‘dumb’ for about a week at least, even after a pre- and post-load, which can be a little worrying. Anyway keep up the excellent work, it’s so important that these things become approved treatments for people suffering from mental health issues, as its really obvious that they are much more beneficial than current prescription treatments.
It is true that MDMA’s magic fades with repeated use. Fortunately for me it didn’t start happening until I tried it about 40 or 50 times! I think it suggests evidence for some sort of neurotoxicity, though ironically it’s actually a safety feature to prevent people from developing long-term addictive relationships with MDMA. I can only hope as neuroscience research proceeds with MDMA that we can figure out why this happens. Even if we never figure out why they fade, those experiences that do feel magical are life changing. It also points to the importance of integrating the experience of the MDMA into everyday life since the growth and learning isn’t going to keep coming from the MDMA itself. Even though I’ve lost some of the magic, it’s still something I look forward to doing about once a year.
-Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, MAPS
beatleslove25 asks:
Will we ever see MDMA, Psilocybin or LSD legalized in our lifetime?
MAPSPsychedelic answers:
We presume that MDMA and psilocybin will be made legal for medical uses by 2021. LSD is not actively being researched for medical uses so it would come later. The idea is that we will eventually obtain approval for the whole collection of psychedelics, growing the field of psychedelic medicine. The bigger question is will these be legalized for non-medical uses, meaning personal freedom, personal growth. I believe we are moving in that direction. Of course medical uses will lead the way, just as it has with medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana initiatives began in 1996 and now states are started to legalize recreational use. The general trend we see in the world is a re-evaluation of the whole system of prohibition, a growing appreciation of religious freedom and the role that psychedelics play in spiritual experiences. For those aging baby boomers who are reading this, I believe that they will live to see the medical use of psychedelics. For younger readers, it is possible that they will see psychedelics made available for creativity, celebration, and even recreation. Of course all of this will be legalized even faster if everybody donates to MAPS!
-Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, MAPS
Read the entire thread here.
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