Thursday, March 17, 2005

Ecstacy Researchers Raising Money on eBay

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, launched the eBay auction, which runs until March 21. The group aims to raise money for administrative expenses, which have increased thanks to the group's recent successes, said Rick Doblin, MAPS president and founder.
MAPS helped gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration for a clinical trial testing MDMA, or ecstasy, as a post-traumatic stress disorder therapy, and is awaiting final approval from the DEA to study the drug as a psychological aid for terminal cancer patients. The group hopes to set up similar trials in Israel, Spain, Switzerland and locations in the United States, a move that requires much wrangling with government agencies. MAPS has also sued the DEA for having a monopoly on growing marijuana that meets federal requirements for research.

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