What is MAPS Canada?
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to expanding legal, safe, and equitable access to psychedelics through research, education, and advocacy.
Are you the same organization as MAPS?
MAPS Canada is a sister organization of MAPS. MAPS Canada is an independent Canadian registered charity and is not the same entity as the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (“MAPS”). While MAPS licenses its trademarks to MAPS Canada through an affiliation agreement, and the two organizations may collaborate on certain matters, MAPS Canada operates separately with its own governance, programs, and activities. Please consult specific project details for clarification on organizational involvement.
How can I get involved and support MAPS Canada?
- Make a donation to support our work
- Stay up-to-date on our initiatives by joining our mailing list.
- Join our amazing volunteer team
- Spread awareness by following us on social media platforms and share our posts, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X
- Watch our Podcast and subscribe to our YouTube channel
- Attend our webinars and events
- Enroll in a course at the School of Psychedelics
Can I volunteer with MAPS Canada?
MAPS Canada is a volunteer-run organization and is always looking for volunteers who have passion, skills, time and energy to contribute to help us fulfill our mission and goals. We are grateful that there are so many people interested in volunteering with us!
Our intention is to meaningfully engage with all our volunteers by finding a good fit between our needs and our volunteers’ skills and interests. Please see our Volunteer page for current skills we are seeking and to apply, and we’ll reach out to you when there is an opening.
What is the legal status of psychedelic drugs and treatment in Canada?
Most psychedelics are currently not legal in Canada, and are scheduled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Some notable exceptions:
- Ketamine is approved for medical use in Canada.
- In January 2023, Health Canada granted an exemption to the province of British Columbia to allow adults to carry small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use, including MDMA (Ecstasy).
Have any of the provinces regulated psychedelics for therapeutic use?
As of January 2023, Alberta became the first province to regulate psychedelic drug treatment services by amending their Mental Health Services Protection Regulation to allow patients with psychiatric disorders to receive psychedelic-assisted therapy through a licensed psychiatrist or a physician in consultation with a psychiatrist.
How can I legally access psychedelics in Canada?
For most psychedelics, legal access is currently available through the following routes:
- Your healthcare provider (physician or nurse practitioner) must apply for permission to obtain psychedelics on behalf of their patients under the Health Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP); or
- Participation in a clinical trial
Health care providers working with psilocybin or MDMA (or other psychedelic substances) must apply for legal access for their patients’ use for therapeutic purposes through the Special Access Program. Healthcare providers can legally provide ketamine and ketamine-assisted therapy in Canada without applying to the Special Access Program.
We recommend that you talk to your health care providers, and do an online search for clinics and programs in your area. There are some nonprofit programs in Canada including Roots to Thrive and TheraPsil. You may be able to find therapists on this site. You can see what services they offer, what kind of training and experience they have, their personal background and approach, and determine if they are a good fit for you. You can also connect with local psychedelic societies that may have additional resources https://globalpsychedelic.org. Please note that we cannot vouch for any service provider.
Does MAPS Canada provide psychedelic treatment services?
MAPS Canada does not provide psychedelic treatment services. We understand that there is much need for these services, and that they can be hard to find and not always available or accessible. That is why we are working hard to expand safe, legal, and equitable access to psychedelics in Canada!
If you are a healthcare professional that is supporting your patients to access psychedelics through the Special Access Program, check out our SAP Community of Practice.
If you are looking for support related to psychedelic safety, please visit our Psychedelic Safety page for some helpful resources. Coming soon!
Are any clinical studies in Canada currently recruiting patients?
Yes! Check out Health Canada’s clinical data base for the status of current registered clinical trials in Canada.
We are currently creating a database of Canadian psychedelic studies that we will post on our website soon! Please sign up for our email list so you can learn when it is posted.
What research is MAPS Canada conducting?
MAPS Canada conducted our first in-house research project assessing health care practitioners’ experiences with and perceptions of access to psychedelics under Health Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP), the EXPAND Study. We have supported clinical trials in the past, and have plans to do more of that soon. Stay tuned!
MAPS Canada promotes Canadian psychedelic research and researchers in our Research Room, and advocates for regulatory changes that are conducive to scientific investigation of psychedelics.
Where can I get training for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy?
MAPS Canada does not provide training for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
University-based training programs include: Vancouver Island University, which offers a 1-year graduate certificate program in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and the University of Ottawa, which offers a graduate diploma in psychedelic therapies.
Other training programs for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in Canada include: TheraPsil (financial aid & scholarships available), and ATMA (use code MAPSCAN10 for 10% discount).
What kind of education does MAPS Canada offer?
MAPS Canada provides education geared at researchers, health care professionals and policy-makers, as well as the general public. Check out our School of Psychedelics for courses that may be eligible for continuing education credits; Webinars for policy-related dialogues; Research Room for research presentations; MAPS Canada Podcast for enlightening and inspiring conversations; and the Psychedelic Safety page for valuable resources (coming soon!)