fashion -WSS

fashion

author：knowledge 2025-09-14 10:01:47 - browse：34

DENVER — He could have been a rock star, a religious icon, the way ecstatic applause from thousands of attendees greeted the man dressed in a crisp, all-white suit as he strode onto a backlit stage. He was neither. This was Rick Doblin, the founder and evangelist of a movement to legalize psychedelic MDMA and bring the drug into mainstream medicine.

The scene in a Denver conference hall last week was a world away from the first conference Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) held in 1990, when Doblin spoke alongside Timothy Leary — the ex-Harvard professor who popularized the phrase “turn on, tune in, and drop out.” That was just a few years after MDMA, also known as ecstasy, was criminalized, deemed a Schedule 1 drug “of no medical use.”

Now, as MAPS nears its goal of winning Food and Drug Administration approval for MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, the perpetually smiling and energetic Doblin is basking in the adoration from both legions of “psychonauts” and unlikely yet powerful allies. “I literally love Rick Doblin,” the conservative Republican and former Texas governor Rick Perry told the audience in Denver.

It was a seemingly triumphant occasion. But even as Doblin is in sniffing distance of his lifelong quest, his once counter-cultural organization is grappling with the pressures of having to operate in the capitalist pharmaceutical sphere. MAPS was founded in 1986 as a nonprofit with deep-seated ideals. Doblin developed an “anti-patent” strategy, putting discoveries in the public domain so they couldn’t be claimed as intellectual property. He raised money to fund clinical trials of MDMA from like-minded wealthy donors.

Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!

GET STARTED Log In

Previous article： The Supreme Court will review a ruling striking down a domestic violence federal gun ban
Next article： PBM reforms clear House panel

hotspot

leisure time

WSS

Does good food count as health care? Study aims to find out

In key trial, Verve's treatment lowers cholesterol levels in patients

Does good food count as health care? Study aims to find out

American TikTok star stuck in Dubai for months following rental car altercation

Trump PAC spent more than $40M on legal bills this year as his charges mount: Sources

Readout Newsletter: Bayer's future, Merck Caraway acquisition, etc

explore

fashion

hotspot

DIEP, the 'gold standard' of breast reconstruction, is under threat

Poor hospice wound care hurts patients and families

The Supreme Court will review a ruling striking down a domestic violence federal gun ban

U.K. considers world's first use of meningitis vaccine to address gonorrhea

In Memoriam: Notable people who died in 2023

Trump PAC spent more than $40M on legal bills this year as his charges mount: Sources

Cancer drug shortages should be causing more outrage

Poor hospice wound care hurts patients and families

George Santos makes 1st court appearance after pleading not guilty to 13 counts

Readout Newsletter: What is Casgevy? Does Wegovy hurt muscle?

leisure time

Weight loss drug Wegovy cuts risk of heart attacks in milestone trial

A daunting task: navigating dual Medicare, Medicaid eligibility

Why medical students are struggling with mental health

A pollution tax on older cars can be extended to London's suburbs after a British court ruling

Adidas to release second batch of Yeezy sneakers after breakup with Ye

Poor hospice wound care hurts patients and families

focus

hotspot

leisure time

knowledge