Psychedelics research is heavily funded through donations

A fundraising campaign for psychedelic research has raised $ 30 million to fund a study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The fundraiser, known as the Capstone Campaign, is a collaboration between the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC). For almost 35 years, the non-profit education and research organization MAPS has been working on developing medical, legal and cultural contexts so that people can benefit from careful use of psychedelics and cannabis. With the funds raised from the Capstone campaign, the group plans to fund the final research necessary to obtain US Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Earlier this year, an independent interim analysis of MAPS Phase 3 research concluded that the trials had a high probability of success. The funds raised through the campaign will provide the funds necessary to complete the MAPS Phase 3 studies ongoing in the United States, Canada and Israel. Social entrepreneur Joe Green is the co-founder of PSFC, a community of philanthropists dedicated to supporting psychedelic medicine that worked with MAPS on the Capstone campaign and helped recruit donors. He said in a statement last week that the research funded by the campaign could open the doors to widespread adoption of MDMA's therapeutic uses. "Getting FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD could ultimately help millions of people, and that in itself is earth-shattering," said Green. "We also believe this could mark a turning point for psychedelic medicine as a whole, leading to a mainstream understanding that psychedelic therapy has the potential to help treat many of the crucial mental health crises of our time. Campaign launched in March The campaign began in March with an initial round of $ 10 million raised among PSFC members. Green then worked with writer and podcaster Tim Ferriss to collect a $ 10 million challenge grant from philanthropic donors, which was unlocked along with an additional $ 10 million in donations. The challenge was announced on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast in May, resulting in a spate of donations, large and small. Bob Parsons, founder of GoDaddy and PXG, and his wife Renee Parsons, president and creative director of PXG Apparel, donated the last $ 2 million needed to complete the campaign. Parsons is a Marine Corps veteran from the Vietnam War who has personally had and continues to fight PTSD. The couple's charitable Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has focused a large portion of their donations towards helping veterans and their families. "Psychedelic research has long been considered 'marginal'. But there is nothing 'marginal' about PTSD," Parsons said. "There are millions of people with PTSD in the US alone, and that includes veterans like me, first responders like those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse. They all deserve better, far more effective treatment options. than we're giving them today. That's what this research is about. "