Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Parts of this page have not been updated since the early 2010s. MAPS's recent work, such as their MDMA-assisted psychotherapy studies and pending New Drug Application, has not been listed.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2024)

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Abbreviation	MAPS
Established	1986  (38 years ago)
Founders	Rick Doblin
Types	nonprofit organization
Legal status	501(c)(3) organization
Country	United States
Revenue	19,288,186 United States dollar (2018)
Website	maps.org

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is an American nonprofit organization working to raise awareness and understanding of psychedelic substances. MAPS was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin and is now based in San Jose, California.

MAPS helps scientists design, fund, and obtain regulatory approval for studies of the safety and effectiveness of a number of controlled substances. MAPS works closely with government regulatory authorities worldwide such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to ensure that all of its sponsored research protocols conform to ethical and procedural guidelines for clinical drug research. Included in MAPS' research efforts are MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); LSD and psilocybin for the treatment of anxiety, cluster headaches, and depression associated with end-of-life issues; ibogaine for the treatment of opiate addiction, ayahuasca for the treatment of drug addiction and PTSD; medical cannabis for PTSD; and alternative delivery systems for medical cannabis such as vaporizers and water pipes. MAPS officials say the organization's ultimate goal is to establish a network of clinics where these and other treatments can be provided together with other therapies under the guidance of trained, licensed physicians and therapists.^[1] In December 2023, MAPS submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. ^[2]

In addition to sponsoring scientific research, MAPS organizes continuing medical education (CME) conferences, sponsors and presents lectures and seminars on the state of psychedelic and medical marijuana research, provides psychedelic harm reduction services through the Zendo Project at events such as music festivals and Burning Man, and publishes a triannual magazine-style publication, the MAPS Bulletin, with updates about its ongoing research efforts, legal struggles, and educational initiatives. MAPS also publishes books dealing with the science, history, and culture of psychedelic research and psychedelic therapy.^[3]