Health Canada has approved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a US-based non-profit research and educational organization.
This study is the first psychedelic research in Canada in over 35 years.
Psychiatrist Ingrid Pacey, M.D. and Psychologist Andrew Feldmár, M.A., the principal investigators of the study, will treat 12 subjects with treatment-resistant PTSD. The study is expected to cost approximately $330,000, all of which will be paid by charitable contributions.
This will be the first time MDMA has ever been legally imported into Canada. MAPS will pay US $5350 to ship approximately seven grams of research-grade MDMA from Switzerland to Vancouver. Ironically, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Canada is a major shipping route of MDMA into the U.S. The street value of seven grams of MDMA in the U.S. is approximately US $1,400.00.
MAPS’ goal is to develop MDMA-assisted psychotherapy into a legal prescription treatment approved by Health Canada, FDA, the European Medicines Agency, and other regulatory agencies around the world. MAPS is also sponsoring ongoing MDMA/PTSD studies in Switzerland and Israel with projects under development in Jordan and Spain.
Since MDMA is off-patent and is administered only a few times over a four month period of mostly non-drug talk therapy, no pharmaceutical companies are willing to invest money in developing MDMA into a generic prescription medicine. MAPS’ non-profit drug development approach, seeking donations and grants rather than investments, is the only way that the healing potential of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy will become legally available.
Project Benefit
On October 24, at 6:30 p.m., MAPS will host a benefit for the project at the Century-Plaza Hotel in downtown Vancouver. MAPS Executive Director Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Ingrid Pacey, M.D., and Andrew Feldmár, M.A., will speak about the study. In addition, Mark Achbar (producer of “The Corporation”) will preview a clip of his upcoming film, “A Perfect Pill: From Neurons to Nirvana.” The suggested minimum donation to attend is $125 ($100 tax-deductible). Reservations can be made by emailing askmaps@maps.org or by calling U.S. 831-429-6368.