MAPS Sends Expert Delegation to United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs

• MAPS delegation includes senior researchers, policy experts, and Veterans from the US, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.
• The CND is a central drug policy-making body in the UN, playing the leading role in international drug control treaties and policy.
• Delegation to educate member state delegates about psychedelic research, observe key session proceedings, and build relationships with NGOs across the global drug policy reform movement.
  

VIENNA, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) will send senior academics, advocates, Veterans, and policy experts to the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, Austria, held March 9-13, 2026. The MAPS delegation brings together experts and leaders from the United States, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East to engage policymakers, challenge persistent stigma and misinformation, and advance evidence-based policies that center on public health and recognize the therapeutic potential of psychedelic medicines.

The CND is the central body for drug policy-making within the UN, playing a leading role in enforcing international drug control treaties, evaluating emerging evidence, updating relevant policies, and making scheduling decisions. As nations across the globe confront overlapping crises in mental health, substance use, and human rights, this year’s session comes at a critical moment. Over the past decade, the CND has begun to confront how emerging evidence impacts cannabis scheduling, the restrictive status of coca leaf in international treaties, and the cost of punitive drug policy. In 2024, under pressure from a coalition of more than 60 countries urgently calling for reform of the international drug control system, the UN CND passed a resolution recognizing, for the first time, the importance of harm reduction in evidence-based drug policy.

“MAPS is engaging at CND to help ensure that global drug control frameworks incorporate advancements in clinical research, uphold the dignity of people who use controlled substances in medical or traditional contexts, and champion a public health approach grounded in evidence rather than punishment. Drug policy has progressed in the United States and across the world in some ways, but as long as drug policy results in lives lost—whether through the violence it causes, disproportionate sentencing and incarceration, or the criminalization of life-saving treatments—
the international community has a responsibility to respond.”
—Ismail L. Ali, J.D., Co-Executive Director, MAPS

After actively participating in UN drug policy sessions from 2015-2020, the MAPS’ delegation will return to the CND main session for the first time in five years, participating as educators, observers, and contributors to formal meetings, official side events, and civil society gatherings throughout the session.

“We find ourselves in a critical moment for international drug policy. For decades, existing global frameworks have limited scientific inquiry, fueled mass incarceration, and prevented those in need from accessing safe, effective, life-saving care. Our presence at the UN CND reflects MAPS’s commitment to ensuring that emerging evidence on psychedelics and cannabis is part of the international conversation. Policymakers deserve access to rigorous data, real-world clinical experience, and expert perspectives rooted in public health and human rights.”
—Robert Lugo, Policy & Advocacy Department MAPS

ABOUT MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS previously sponsored the most advanced psychedelic-assisted therapy research in the world and continues to support psychedelic and marijuana research with a focus on the people and places most impacted by trauma. MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and The Zendo Project, a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $150 million to advance psychedelic research, change drug policy, and shape culture.

Media Contact:
media@maps.org