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
May 8, 2025
MAPS Canada Research Room presents:
Music and non-music approaches in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: The sound of silence
Thurs, May 8th 7pm EST / 4pm PST
Dr. Houman Farzin is a physician and researcher specializing in psychedelic medicine and palliative care. He serves as an attending physician in the Division of Palliative Care at the Jewish General Hospital and is a lecturer at McGill University. He is a trainer for Therapsil and was a former trial site physician for MAPPUSX, a multi-site open-label extension study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD. He is the founder of Mystic Health, a psychedelic venture currently operating in Southern California. Additionally, he is a DJ and music producer with various international appearances. Talk Abstract: In this talk, the speaker will explore the role of music and silence in Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). While music is commonly used to guide therapeutic experiences, its absence has been under-explored. The talk will highlight findings from a study with two breast cancer patients in Canada’s compassionate access program, and other experiences conducting PAP. One patient found the silence helpful for mindfulness, while the other used it to explore challenging memories triggered by the music. These results suggest that silent periods in PAP can enhance mindfulness and therapist-patient interactions.
March 27, 2025
MAPS Canada presents:
Harm Reduction & Post Trip Vulnerability, Are You Ready?
In this episode, MAPS Canada’s Podcast host, Osheen Dayal, talks with Erica Siegal about the ethics, risks, and realities of psychedelic therapy.
Erica is a licensed therapist, harm reduction expert, and the Executive Director of
SHINE Collective, a nonprofit supporting survivors of harm in psychedelic spaces.
April 10, 2025
MAPS Canada presents:
The importance of Set, Setting and Sitter at Psychedelic Clinical Trials
April 10, 2025
MAPS Canada Research Room presents:
Indigenous Perspectives of Cannabis Use on Turtle Island
Thurs, April 10th 7pm EST / 4pm PST
Jordy is a member of Okanagan Indian Band and a 1st year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at UBC Okanagan (UBCO). She started working with Dr. Zach Walsh in 2019 through the Indigenous Research Mentorship Program at UBCO. She competed her BSc in Psychology with a minor in Biology in 2021 and her MA in Clinical Psychology in 2024. Her Masters project focused on Indigenous perspectives of cannabis use. Her doctoral research is focused on the microdosing of psychedelics. More broadly, her research focuses on substance use, Indigenous research methods, drug checking, and harm reduction. She is a co-founder of the @UBCO.AISES group which aims to provide networking opportunities and foster community for Indigenous STEM students. Talk Abstract: Since the legalization of adult recreational cannabis use in Canada, Indigenous leaders have made numerous calls on the provincial and federal governments for adequate and appropriate consultation regarding the Cannabis Act. These calls parallel the narrative surrounding research with Indigenous communities, which have historically enacted Western methods, often leading to non-collaborative approaches or exclusionary dynamics. This study brings together Indigenous researchers, substance use experts, and representatives from Indigenous communities and organizations to provide a platform for Indigenous perspectives on cannabis. Guided by Two-Eyed Seeing, in conjunction with Wilson’s (2008) circular research paradigm, this mixed-methods study explores what Indigenous Peoples think about cannabis use, what motivates them to use it, how it is used as a substitute for other substances, the modes and patterns of use, the access of cannabis, barriers to health care, and the impacts of legalization. Our findings show that the majority of respondents consider cannabis to be a medicine. Cannabis was used for an array of reasons both within and between respondents, with most reporting both cannabis for therapeutic purposes (CTP) and cannabis for recreational purposes (CRP). Cannabis was used as a substitute for a variety of substances including, alcohol, stimulants, opioids, cigarettes, and benzodiazepines. It was predominately disliked due to the associated stigma. Similarly, almost half of the respondents reported experiencing discrimination from their doctor because of cannabis use. Overall, we heard that cannabis use was perceived as an approach to enhance overall well-being and was not generally considered problematic.
March 13th, 2025
MAPS Canada Research Room presents:
Psychedelics and Public Health: Results from the Global Psychedelic Survey 2023
Thurs, March 13th 7pm EST / 4pm PST
Philippe Lucas, PhD is a cannabis and psychedelic researcher, and a lifelong safe access advocate. Following struggles as a medical cannabis patient, Philippe founded the Vancouver Island Compassion Society in 1999 and worked as its Executive Director until 2009. He then served a term as a Victoria City Councillor before being hired as VP, Global Patient Research & Access at Tilray, where he oversaw a comprehensive international clinical and observational cannabis research program. Currently, Philippe is Director, Research and Safe Access at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and a Researcher Affiliate at the University of Michigan’s Psychedelic Center, and he is the lead investigator of the Canadian Psychedelic Survey 2022 and the Global Psychedelic Survey 2023/25.
Philippe has worked with governments around the globe to develop evidence-based drug policies and 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.
February 22, 2025
MAPS Canada Presents:
Cafe Scientifique on Psychedelics and Health Equity
The purpose of this CIHR-funded Cafe Scientifique was to bring together a panel of leading researchers in Canada with expertise on psychedelics and health equity. This hybrid event was held on March 10, 2024 in Vancouver and online with participants across Canada. The program included presentations from panelists: Dr. Erika Dyck, Dr. Monnica Williams, Amy Bartlett and Otis Jasper. This video is a recording of the event, including the panel discussion, a question and answer session, breakout discussions, and an overview of the graphic recording provided by Michelle Buchholz. Kim Haxton moderated the event.
January 13, 2025
MAPS Canada presents:
Catching up with Rick Doblin: FDA's MDMA Decision and What's Next for 2025
Join us online for an exclusive event with Rick Doblin, the founder of MAPS, as we discuss the recent FDA decision on MDMA and what the future holds for 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear firsthand insights from Rick Doblin himself and learn more about the exciting developments in the world of psychedelic research and therapy. Access recording here.
November 18, 2024
MAPS Canada Presents:
Climbing for a Psychedelic Cause: Eric Schwam’s Journey to Complete Everesting 29029
Podcast with Eric Schwam
Eric Schwam, Montreal based entrepreneur, shares his experience taking on the Everesting 29029 challenge to support MAPS Canada and his passion for psychedelic-assisted therapy. He discusses what motivated him to participate and how psychedelics have played a role in his mental health and growth.
November 18 2024
MAPS Canada Presents:
How Psychedelics Can Bring Grace To End-Of-Life
Podcast with Richard Adamson
Perhaps Richard is like many of you: he’s not a therapist or health practitioner and for most of his life personal growth, spirituality, and ritual took a back seat. And there’s nothing like crisis to bring it back. A few years ago, Richard’s wife of 30 years faced a health crisis that proved fatal. That journey resulted in profound changes to his priorities and taught him the potential role psychedelics can play in preparation for death and a healthy grief process for those continuing.
August 25 2024
MAPS Canada Presents:
Psychedelics Professor: Can Psychedelics Resolve the Opiod Crisis?
Podcast with Dr. Zach Walsh
Dr. Zachary Walsh, a leading clinical psychologist and researcher, explores the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in this episode, focusing on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for opioid titration and his involvement in the Microdose.me study. He explains the distinction between cannabis, used for symptom relief, and psychedelics and discusses the controversial link between cannabis and psychosis, emphasizing the need for further research.
March 26th, 2024
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
- Learn about the specifics of MDMA-Assisted Therapy Training utilizing the MAPS Protocol
- Learn about how clinics prepare for MDMA-Assisted Therapy
- Hear practitioners’ perspectives on what the path towards legal MDMA-assisted therapy may look like in Canada
- 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'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!
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 SAFETY AND ACCESS REPORT
Please read our report on Alberta’s Regulations and service standards, and related recommendations.
