Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-07-29)

Doblin’srelativelylow-keylookcontrastedwith

thefantasticallyattiredguests.Manyofthe

women,includingBurningManCEOGoodell,

worefloor-lengthgowns.EveryonebutDoblin

seemedtobedrinkingtequila.

DoblinsawGoodellandthankedherfor

thementionofZendointhepamphlet.He

metmoviedirectorDarrenAronofskyand

saidhellototheanti-taxadvocateGrover

Norquist,whoworea stripedcaftan.Norquist

andDoblingobackmorethana decade:In

2005,Norquistwrotea lettertotheDEAin

supportofMAPS’spositionthata professor

attheUniversityofMassachusettsatAmherst

beallowedtogrowmarijuanaformedical

research.(ABostonfederalappealscourt

sidedwiththeDEA’srejectionin2013.)Doblin

alsochattedwithTerryGross—nottheradio

host,buta powerfulBayAreamedialaw-

yerknownontheplayasimplyasLightning.

Lightningtold Doblinthat Brinwouldn’t

arriveuntilthefollowingday.

AfterclosingdowntheFirstCampparty

around 9 p.m.,Doblin moved on to the

GalacticJunglecampat theinvitationof

friendFlorenciaBollini,anexecutivecoach.

She’dtoldDoblinthatGuyLaliberté,the

CirqueduSoleilfounder,who’dbeDJingthat

night,wassympathetictothegoalsofMAPS.

Plus,Uber TechnologiesInc.co-founder

GarrettCampmightbethere.ButDoblin

missedLalibertébyminutesandneverfound

Camp.Eventually,Doblinpedaledoff.Heled

thetworeportersontoa platformencircling

theManandstartedtellinga storyabouthow

yearsearlierhealmostlandeda donation

fromSteveJobs.Rejectiondoesn’tgenerally

dissuadeDoblin,thoughthatdoesn’tmean

setbacksdon’thurt.“I’ma f---upwhokeeps

trying,”hesaidwitha wrylaugh.

It waslate,andasDoblintookinthescene,

a mansuddenlyattemptedtothrowhimselfovera wallandoff

theplatformontoa courtyardtwostoriesbelow.“It’sa trick!It’s

a trick!”themanshouted.Othersranoverandgrabbedhim,

pullinghimback,andthenwhenhebrokefreeandagaintried

tothrowhimselfover,theypinnedhimtotheground.“Maybe

they’lltakehimtoZendo,”Doblinsaid.Hewalkeddown,found

hisbike,andpedaledbacktoFoamAgainsttheMachine.There

hefoundGreen,plusa well-knownbusinessleaderfromBoston

andanIsraelibillionairewhorecentlystartedgivingtoMAPS.

DoblinandGreenstayedupuntil 5 a.m.planningMAPS’sfund-

raisingstrategyforclinicaltrialsinEurope.

Duringthefestival,Doblinalsohelpedguidea Burner,

a U.S.militaryveteranandformerpoliceofficersuffering

fromPTSD,throughanMDMAsession.AlthoughDoblin

isn’ta licensedtherapist,theencounterhadthefeelof

therapy.Doblinsatina tepeewiththeveteran,whom

he’dmetontheplaya.Theveterantooka 125-milligram

doseofMDMA,plusa smallertop-uptwohourslater.

Recumbent,eye-masked,andalternatingbetweenperi-

odsofsilenceandchattiness,hetalkedaboutsomeof

hismoredifficultexperiences.Doblinlistenedand

askedquestions.Hefollowedupwiththemanaftera

fewweeksandlearnedthathewasfeelingbetterand

lookingintogettingprofessionaltherapy.

“Therewasa pointwherethispersonwasableto

breathemorefullythaninmany,manyyears,”Doblin

said,referringtothetepeesession.“It’snota one-dose

miraclecure,buttoseesomeonestartina puddleof

tearsandgotohavinghopewasprofoundlyinspiring.”

O

n histhirddayatBurningMan,Doblin—dressed

ina goldrobe,copperloincloth,andRoman-style

crown—climbedupsomescaffoldingandpreparedtoput

ona showfora bunchofBurners,including,ofcourse,

potentialMAPSdonors.Themakeshifttowersatabovea

giganticPlexiglas-encasedgroupshowerattheBronner

camp.Technicallyanartinstallation—toavoidviolating

localbathhouselaws—theexhibitionistlockerroomwas

oneoftheonlyplacesontheplayatogetclean.Doblin

wasthemasterofceremoniesattheshoweropening.

Whilehelookedon,robot-costumeddancersgyrated.

Otherperformers,cladinfeathers,removedtherobots’

costumesandsteeredthemtothePlexiglasblocks.After

beingsprayedwithwaterandsoapyfoam,theformer

robotsemerged,human.ThenDoblinoffereda blessing

forloveandpsychedelics.“Ifoam,thereforeI am,”he

intoned,armsliftedoverthecrowd.CrowdsofBurners,

includingGreenandothersupporters,enteredthe

blocks,severaldozenata time,mostnaked.Manyraised

theirhandsandhootedastheplaya’sgrimeranoffthem.

A DJona raisedplatformtothesideplayedtheJames

TaylorsongShowerthePeople.

Doblinlaughedandbobbedtothemusic,maneuver-

inghosesoffoamandwaterfromhisperchabove.He’d

spendmorethantwohoursthere.Bronneraccompanied

him,dressedasa sortofjunglewizard,a stuffed-animaltiger

affixedtohisheaddress.WhenDoblinspottedEricVermetten,

a clinicalpsychiatristandresearcheratLeidenUniversityin

theNetherlands,whomhe’dinvitedtoBurningMan,hegave

himanextradousing.

DoblinnevermetBrinatthefestival.Butatonepoint,

LaurenShermandroppedbyFoamAgainsttheMachine.The

daughterofpharmaceuticalbillionaireparentswhoweremur-

deredinTorontolastyear,she’drecentlydonated$100,000

toMAPS.It wasa smallvictoryintheschemeofthings,but

Doblinwasebullient.“Twenty-sixpointnine,”Doblinsaid,

referringtothetotalsum—inmillionsofdollars—thatMAPS

hadraiseduntilthatpointforPhaseIII trials. “Now we’re 27.

We’re up to 27!” <BW>

Bloomberg Businessweek July 29, 2019

DATA: GOOGLE TRENDS, COMPILED BY REGION

45

Correlationbetween

highhousehold

incomeandinterestin

California,according

toGoogletrends

●Drugs ●Notdrugs

100%correlation

No correlation

Welcome

To the Hotel

California

Seasteading

Tesla

Cirque du Soleil

Microdosing

Cryptocurrency

Burning Man

Buddhism

Tequila

Adderall

MDMA

Cocaine

Apocalypse

Shrooms

Psilocybin

LSD