Rick Doblin – MDMA Is Medicine

Rick Doblin is the founder and executive director of MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.

His goal is to help develop contexts, for the legal use of psychedelics and marijuana.

He is currently in phase 3 of clinical trials testing the combination of MDMA and psychotherapy as a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. This has been in the works for over 30 years.

Ultimately he wants to explore how psychedelics can be used to resolve some of the world’s biggest problems amongst religions, in spirituality, and for conflict resolution.

Chapters:
00:00 Trailer.
02:43 Brian’s thoughts on the episode.
05:14 Brian’s introduction.
05:56 What has contributed to current public willingness for conversation about psychedelics in medicine.
10:59 Ibogaine could help people get off opiate addiction.
13:44 SSRIs have suited pharma industry well, but the field of psychiatry is looking for new ways to help.
16:29 How can the public be persuaded to consider so-called party drugs as therapeutic?
21:30 Risk for those taking MDMA in therapy, later becoming ravers.
26:30 How MDMA therapy can help those with PTSD resulting from different types of trauma.
31:11 MDMA history and how Rick has maintained a fourty-five year, long term plan, for MDMA use.
45:47 More people died from drug overdoses in 2017 than entire Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
47:51 What Rick thinks the drug scene will be like in 2035.
52:35 The 50-year Marijuana cycle MAPS hopes to break before the election.
55:55 The typical MDMA therapy patient.
58:21 Why MDMA is not mentioned by Michael Pollan in his book and Terence McKenna didn’t favour it.
1:02:31 Moving story of how Rick’s grandmother inspires his work and his work with PTSDA veterans.
1:16:24 An unexpected windfall.
1:24:30 Meeting the EMA
1:32:11 An anti-patent strategy, how people who have received help from MDMA can help cause.
1:36:43 How MAPS is training therapists, despite MDMA being an illegal drug.
1:40:37 Political rift caused by acceptance of a donation for healing from trauma study.
1:49:43 Why Rick’s plea is, come out of the closet; act responsibly; help people through experience.
1:52:55 The concept of a 100-year plan
1:55:56 Brian’s summing up.

Notes:
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
https://www.maps.org/about/staff
Zendo project
http://www.zendoproject.org/
Rick Doblin on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/rickdoblin/
Rick Doblin on London Real
https://londonreal.tv/e/rick-doblin-mdma-therapy/
https://londonreal.tv/e/rick-doblin-fighting-the-good-fight/
Rick Doblin on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Doblin

Books:
Magic Mushroom Explorer: Psilocybin and the Awakening Earth

Manifesting Minds: A Review of Psychedelics in Science, Medicine, Sex and Spirituality

Ecstasy: Dance, Trance and Transformation
https://www.amazon.com/Ecstasy-Trance-Transformation-Nicholas-Saunders/dp/0932551203

Topics discussed:
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
http://www.maps.org/
Ibogaine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibogaine
MDMA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDMA
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor
Ketamine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketamine
Cannabis (Marijuana)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)
Psilocybin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin
European Medicines Agency (EMA)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Medicines_Agency
Lysergic acid dietlyhamide (LSD)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_dietlyhamide
How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics by Michael Pollan

Merck and early history of MDMA
https://www.mdma.net/merck/
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
Burning Man
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man
Realms of the Super Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research by Stanislav Grof

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Enforcement_Administration
GW Pharmaceuticals
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/248384.stm
Scottsdale Research Institute
http://sriresearch.org/
Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy and the Power to Heal by Tom Schoder

If I Could Only Remember My Name
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Could_Only_Remember_My_Name
Médicines Sans Frontières
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9decins_Sans_Fronti%C3%A8res
Wellcome Trust
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellcome_Trust
Pineapple Fund
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple_Fund
Right-to-try law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-try_law
Expanded access
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_access
Test Data Exclusivity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_data_exclusivity
Cambridge Analytica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica
Sagrada Família
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

People mentioned in this episode:
Michael Pollan
https://londonreal.tv/e/michael-pollan/
Timothy Leary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary
Anthony Bourdain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain
Donald Trump
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Shulgin
Leo Zeff
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Zeff
Michael Clegg
https://knowledgenuts.com/2013/09/05/ecstasy-was-named-and-popularized-by-a-catholic-priest/
Terence McKenna
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris
https://londonreal.tv/e/dr-robin-carhart-harris-psychedelics-as-medicine/
Professor David Nutt
https://londonreal.tv/e/professor-david-nutt-the-truth-about-drugs/
Dr Richard Rockefeller
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rockefeller
Rebekah Mercer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebekah_Mercer
Loree K Sutton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loree_K._Sutton
Jesse Watters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Watters
Greg Gutfeld
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Gutfeld
Leah Betts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Betts
Dennis McKenna
https://londonreal.tv/e/dennis-mckenna-the-screaming-abyss/