Supporting equitable access to legal and regulated psychedelic medicine for all Canadians.

ABOUT OUR WORK

Working with partners in government, business, and the community, MAPS Canada is committed to advancing psychedelic medicine by supporting scientific, multidisciplinary research; advocating for drug policy reform; offering public education; and supporting equitable access to legal and regulated psychedelic medicine in Canada. 

LATEST AT MAPS CANADA

MAPS Canada presents:

Navigating MDMA-Assisted Therapy: From Research to Clinical Practice

March 26th, 4pm PST, 5pm CST, 7pm EST

Join Dr. Scott Shannon (MAPS principal investigator on its Phase 3 MDMA Clinical Trial),  and ATMA CEO, Vu Tran to learn more about In-Person MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training, based on MAPS protocols, coming to Calgary in May 2024 as well as ATMA-CENA plans for expanding  clinic infrastructure in Canada.  With priority review in the US by the FDA and the expected priority review in Canada initiated by Lykos, there is an urgency for both training and clinics to be ready for legalization.

The FDA recently granted Lykos Therapeutics (formerly MAPS PBC) a priority review on their New Drug Application (NDA) for MDMA, allowing for a shorter review period of 6 months vs the 10 months conventional review period.  The FDA could grant Lykos MDMA approval for therapy as early as August 2024.  The rescheduling MDMA could be another 3 months from FDA approval but it’s likely MDMA-assisted therapy (MaT) will be available to some individuals before the end of 2024.  Training and clinic infrastructure to provide MDMA-assisted therapy is quickly becoming the priority to focus on to make this treatment accessible in both the US and Canada.

The expectation is that Lykos will take a similar path of requesting a priority review to Health Canada for a New Drug Submission (NDS) upon approval from the FDA.  Although legalization for MaT in Canada will be behind the US, we could likely see Health Canada approval early to mid 2025.

 

Join Reverdi Darda, MAPS Canada Board member, in discussion with Dr. Shannon and Vu Tran as we discuss these exciting and rapidly-unfolding developments in psychedelic assisted therapy in Canada.

*Recording will be available for 30 days after the event for the same email address that was used to register

Learning Objectives 

  1. Learn about the specifics of MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training utilizing the MAPS Protocol
  2. Learn about how clinics prepare for MDMA-Assisted Therapy
  3. Hear practitioners’ perspectives on what the path towards legal MDMA-assisted therapy may look like in Canada
  4. Hear practitioners’ perspectives on how the rollout of MDMA-assisted Therapy may look in Canada

Dr. Scott Shannon, (MAPS principal investigator on its Phase 3 MDMA Clinical Trial)

Scott has been a student of consciousness since his honor’s thesis on that topic at the University of Arizona in the 1970s. Following medical school, MDMA assisted psychotherapy became a facet of his practice before this medicine was scheduled in 1985. He then completed a psychiatry residency at a Columbia program in New York. Scott studied cross-cultural psychiatry and completed a child/adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of New Mexico. Scott has published four books on holistic and integrative mental health including the first textbook for this field in 2001. He founded Wholeness Center, the largest integrative mental health center in the US, in 2010 with a group of aligned professionals to create innovation in collaborative mental health care.

Scott is a past president of two national medical organizations. He serves as a site Principal Investigator and therapist for the Phase III trial of MDMA assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and for the Phase IIB trial of LSD for generalized anxiety disorder. He has also published numerous articles about his research on cannabidiol (CBD) in mental health. Scott co-founded the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) to train professionals in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and deliver clinically relevant studies. Scott helped to initiate the Board of Psychedelic Medicine and Therapies in 2021. He lectures all over the world to professional groups interested in a paradigm shifting perspective about transformative care. 

 

Vu Tran, ATMA CEO

Vu is a student of plant medicine, has his yoga instructor certification and also 20 years of experience as a strategic investor and successful entrepreneur. He believes in pursuing a balanced life of business ambition with life giving work, that which nourishes the human spirit.

 

Vu is a life long entrepreneur and has founded, scaled and exited multiple ventures in a variety of markets including real estate, land development, hospitality, entertainment, retail and cannabis. Whether owned, led or partnered with, he has created a combined enterprise value of over $60M from all his ventures to date. As a result of his own experience and work, Vu is deeply involved with and passionate about what psychedelic medicine can bring to Canadians suffering with mental health issues.

MAPS Canada Research Room presents:

Psychedelic Medicine, Panpsychism, and Theodicy


Thurs, April 4th 8pm EST / 5pm PST

Sharday (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the School of Religion at Queen’s University, Kingston ON, where she researches and teaches on esotericism, occult sciences, and new religious movements. She is interested in working with, and enlivening integrative, non-mechanistic worldviews found within these traditions. Her first book is ‘The Spiritual Significance of Overload Boredom’ (2022; McGill-Queen’s University Press). Her major projects right now are about psychedelic spiritual crises and solutions. With multidisciplinary collaborators, she is synthesizing tools for facilitating and navigating existential distress, recovery and maps for meaning-making. This work begins from a cosmophilic starting point, centring epistemologies of direct gnosis from traditional communities of practice, and integrating academic scientific and humanistic epistemologies. Sharday is involved in a number of academic and other organizations: she is a founding member of the Human Augmentation Research Network, she holds leadership positions at the American Academy of Religion, and she has been Director of Research at the Psychedelic Association of Canada.

Board of Directors Volunteer Position

Join our Board! We are looking for people with relevant skill sets and experience, who are keen to contribute to our mission of expanding safe, legal, and equitable access to psychedelics in Canada through research, education, and advocacy.

As a priority, we are seeking an individual who can competently fulfill the role of Treasurer for a charitable society in Canada. We are looking for additional board members with communications, marketing, development, legal, tech, and business backgrounds, and with diverse experiences and perspectives. Nonprofit and Charity board experience is an asset.

Term and Time Commitments: 2-3 year term with option to renew Commitment of 10- 20 hours per month (3-5 hrs per week) Attend monthly board meeting (virtual meeting 1x per month for 1.5 hours) Respond to requests for timely feedback via email Work with committees on projects that align with your passion Learn new skills as needed to fulfill board duties.

Deadline for Applications: We will be accepting applications for the Treasurer position until March 11, 2024. For other board positions, we will be accepting applications until April 30, 2024.

MAPS Canada Research Room presents:

Psilocybin's Effects on Top-Down Visual Illusions

Thurs, March 7th 8pm EST / 5pm PST

Cafe Scientifique on Psychedelics and Health Equity:

An Interactive Public Dialogue with Leading Researchers in Canada

March 10, 2024, 2:00pm – 5:00pm PST / 5:00pm – 8:00pm EST​

With Research Panelists:
Dr. Erika Dyck
 – Psychedelic Diversity: Lessons from the Past
Dr. Monnica Williams – Psychedelics and Communities of Colour
Otis Jasper – Promising Practices with Psychedelics and Indigenous communities
Amy Bartlett – 2SLGBTQ communities and psychedelic spaces

The Facilitators:


Facilitated by Kim Haxton
Graphic Recording by Michelle Buchholz with Cassyex Consulting

What to Expect
You are invited to join this interactive public dialogue on psychedelics and health equity with leading researchers in the field. Participants will have a chance to hear from an expert research panel, ask questions to the panelists, and contribute to the conversation by sharing your ideas in facilitated small group discussions. The outcomes from this session will be used to inform future directions in psychedelic research and equity initiatives. This is a hybrid virtual and in-person event. For those attending in person, refreshments and a reception area with psychedelic information, art and vending tables are included.

Disclaimer: This event will be visually and audibly recorded for educational purposes. Individual faces will not be shown in any published material unless a signed consent form is completed.
 
 

Call for Vendors and Artists – if you would like to apply to be a vendor or artist at this event, please email alycia.fridkin@gmail.com for more information.

Who Should Attend
This event is for members of the public who would like to learn more about psychedelics and issues of social justice.

Agenda
2:00 pm PST Panel Discussion with audience Q & A
4:00 pm PST Breakout Discussions
4:45 pm PST Wrap up and Close

This event is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and sponsored by Hollyhock Leadership Institute. We are grateful to our additional partners, MAPS Canada and the National Collaborating Centre on Determinants of Health.
 
 
Click below to register for the in-person event in Vancouver or attend virtually! 

MAPS Canada's SAP CoP Committee presents:

The Special Access Program Tip Sheet

Our SAP Tip Sheet is now live! Learn how you can access Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) through Health Canada’s SAP program. You can find tips and templates to streamline your application process!

Letter to The Mayor of Toronto

A request for an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)
pursuant to s. 56(1) to decriminalize the personal possession of controlled drugs and substances in the city of Toronto. 

MAPS Canada Presents:

You Had a Mystical Experience - Now What?

Podcast With Michael Phillip

Michael Phillip is the creator and host of Third Eye Drops, a media vessel dedicated to philosophy, psychology, spirituality, meaning, and adventure (both physical and mental). Michael is a writer, podcast host, speaker, community-builder, and wonder junkie holding a B.A. in Journalism.

Check it out at https://thirdeyedrops.com/

And consider donating to MAPS Canada at https://mapscanada.org/donate/

MAPS Canada Partnership with Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science Presents:

Micro-dosing for MDD Clinical Trial Partnership

MAPS Canada is excited to be in a research partnership with the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science (CCPS), an organization dedicated to setting the bar for excellence in the study of psychedelics, on a University of Toronto-sponsored clinical trial studying the effects of microdoses (2mg) of psilocybin on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

MAPS Canada is partnering with CCPS toward a common commitment to support the utilization of psychedelic-assisted therapies through the conduct of a clinical trial to address mental and physical health challenges and promote wellness. 


As part of this partnership, CCPS will conduct a University of Toronto-sponsored clinical trial to examine the effects of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin on MDD. MAPS Canada will support this project by raising funds that will go directly towards completing this clinical trial.

MAPS Canada presents:

Balancing Safety and Access: Cost Coverage for Psychedelic-Assisted Care

Thur Oct 26, 4:00-5:00 pm PT/7:00-8:00 pm ET

Cost coverage and affordability greatly impact patient access to psychedelic medicines and therapies. Legal access to psychedelics in Canada is only available through Clinical Trials and the Special Access Program (SAP). Ketamine is a legal psychedelic medicine and treatment is available, however, as with other psychedelic therapies, costs are high and are often not covered, making it out of reach for many patients in need

Costs associated with legal psychedelic-assisted therapy include the cost of psychedelic medicine itself and costs associated with care personnel, which can include medical professionals and other regulated or unregulated health professionals. Treatments can involve several sessions over a period of weeks or months. 

Similar costs are associated with underground psychedelic-assisted care and healing as well. Some people may opt to use psychedelics without support or therapy because these are not affordable, and cost-coverage is of course not available for illegal product and services. 

Costs for other legal medicines are covered in certain contexts, including treatments for substance use disorders and for medical assistance in dying (MAID) by government and third party insurers. However, costs are not often covered for psychedelic-assisted care. 

What is the state of cost coverage for psychedelic-assisted care in Canada? What is the route towards provincial cost coverage? What arguments could be made to third party insurers to include cost coverage in their policies? Which products and services should be covered? What is the impact on patients having to pay out of pocket? What are the implications of not being able to afford access to treatment?

*Recording will be available for 30 days after the event for the same email address that was used to register

Learning Objectives 

  1. Learn about the state of cost coverage for psychedelic-assisted care in Canada
  2. Learn about how regulatory bodies make decisions about cost coverage in the context of treatments offered as a part of publicly-funded healthcare
  3. Learn about how third-party insurers make decisions about cost coverage in the context of private insurance
  4. Learn about how cost coverage, or lack thereof, impacts patients who are in need of care
  5. Learn about provider perspectives on the impact of cost coverage
  6. Learn about how we as a community can advocate for cost-coverage where appropriate
 Joan Weir, HBA, FLMI

Vice President, Group Benefits Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. 

Joan is the vice president of group benefits for CLHIA (Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association), a voluntary trade association with member companies that account for 99 percent of Canada’s life and health insurance business.  In her role, Joan is responsible for analysis on industry issues, policy strategy development and to build consensus on concerns important to member companies.  An important part of the health portfolio is working within industry, including with national healthcare associations as well as with provincial/federal payers on benefit programs, specifically on best practices, strategy, advocacy and sustainability.  Joan has been with the CLHIA for more than 7 years, starting as Director of Health and Disability Policy.

Joan brings 20+ years of benefits management expertise to her position at CLHIA, having worked for insurers and administrators on both private and public sector programs, notably with First Canadian Health and Health Canada on the NIHB program and most recently with Medavie Blue Cross.

LinkedIn

Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.

Philippe Lucas, PhD

President, SABI Mind Vice Chair, Psychedelics Canada

Philippe Lucas PhD is an experienced cannabis and psychedelic researcher, patient advocate, and President of SABI Mind, a clinic group that provides access to psychedelic-assisted therapies to treat mental health, pain and substance use disorder, and that’s a proud partner of Project Solace. Philippe was founder of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, one of Canada’s first medical cannabis dispensaries, a founding Board member of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies Canada, and co-founder of the Victoria Association of Psychedelic Studies. More recently he worked as VP, Global Patient Research & Access at Tilray, where he oversaw an international cannabis research program, and he is also acting-CEO of Plantchek, which produces analytical tools for the cannabis industry.

He has received a number of accolades for his patient research and advocacy, including the Americans for Safe Access Researcher of the Year Award 2021, the Cannabis Council of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

SABI Mind

 David Fascinato

Executive Director Heroic Hearts Canada

David is the Executive Director of Heroic Hearts Canada. He is also a veteran who spent 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. Since leaving the military, he has embarked on a career in service to non-profits, leading and scaling national and international charities. His work includes co-founding Team Rubicon Canada, a prominent veteran-led disaster relief organization. He continues his work to support veterans in their transition from the military by launching Heroic Hearts Canada. David has a Masters of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University and resides in Toronto.

Heroic Hearts Canada 

Clifford Lo, PharmD, MHA, MSc, BSc(Pharm), PharmD

Director, Formulary Management, Pharmaceutical, Laboratory & Blood Services Division, BC Ministry of Health

Clifford Lo is currently the Director of Formulary Management for the Pharmaceutical, Laboratory & Blood Services Division at the British Columbia Ministry of Health and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He completed his undergraduate pharmacy degree from the UBC, then a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Washington and he is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. Clifford has also completed a Masters in Health Administration from UBC, a Masters in Health Economics, Policy and Management from the London School of Economics, and a 2-year administrative fellowship at BC Renal. In addition to his administrative roles, he provides lectures at the UBC School of Pharmacy, and School of Medicine and has a variety of research interests including health policy and access, he has published several peer-reviewed papers in this area

 

MAPS Canada Partnership with Empower Psychedelics Presents:

A Clinical Trial of Psychedelic Group Therapy for First Responders

MAPS Canada is excited to be in a research partnership with Empower Psychedelics, a non-profit organization based in British Columbia, on a groundbreaking study of group-based psychedelic-assisted therapy  for first responders.

MAPS Canada is partnering with Empower Psychedelics toward a common commitment to contribute to the growing body of evidence  of psychedelic-assisted therapies through the conduct of a clinical trial to address mental and physical health challenges and promote wellness. 

As part of this partnership, Empower Psychedelics will conduct a clinical trial to assess the feasibility of a custom psilocybin-assisted group therapy program for first responders exploring potential effects on mental health, wellbeing, and cognition. MAPS Canada will support this project to raise funds that will go directly towards completing this impactful clinical trial.

MAPS Canada School of Psychedelics

The MAPS Canada School of Psychedelics provides education to promote safe, legal, and equitable access to psychedelic medicines. The school provides programs for everyone from clinicians and researchers to policymakers and to anyone interested in learning more about psychedelics.

BALANCING SAFTEY AND ACCESS REPORT

Please read our report on Alberta’s Regulations and service standards, and related recommendations.

MAPS Canada is powered by a large and dedicated group of volunteers!