Ecstasy, the drug first popularized during the late ’80s and early ’90s rave scene, has made a resurgence in Marin County and no, we’re not referring to a new electronic dance festival. A team of therapists led by San Anselmo–based psychiatrist Dr. Philip Wolfson has been granted permission to use MDMA in an 18-person study that will take place over the next year. The research will be largely funded by money from the late Tim Butcher. Butcher, who was the son of Precious Moments figurines founder Sam Butcher, was a supporter of MDMA therapy and left $1.9 million in his will to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the group who is sponsoring the sessions. Recruitment is currently underway for the project that is designed to reduce anxiety for people with life-threatening diseases.
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition under the headline: “That Loving Feeling.”
Kasia Pawlowska loves words. A native of Poland, Kasia moved to the States when she was seven. The San Francisco State University creative writing graduate went on to write for publications like the San Francisco Bay Guardian and KQED Arts among others prior to joining the Marin Magazine staff. Topics Kasia has covered include travel, trends, mushroom hunting, an award-winning series on social media addiction and loads of other random things. When she’s not busy blogging or researching and writing articles, she’s either at home writing postcards and reading or going to shows. Recently, Kasia has been trying to branch out and diversify, ie: use different emojis. Her quest for the perfect chip is never-ending.
