Event Recap: Hundreds Support the Launch of the GPF Foundation

The first-ever Annual Event for the GPF Foundation was an emotional affair that served to not only honor the legacy of the organization’s namesake – Gregory Paul Friedman – but also as the Foundation’s formal launch.

Greg Friedman was an accomplished athlete, artist and scholar working at a Los Angeles technology start-up. In July of 2017, while in San Francisco attending a concert, a friend provided Greg the illicit drug known as ecstasy (MDMA). This set off a chain of events that ultimately cost Greg his life. The drug that Greg took was likely adulterated, triggering devastating psychosis. Even after seeking medical care with a primary care physician who apparently did not listen carefully or fully understand his condition despite Greg specifically telling him about the drug and its effects on him. The prescribed medications from his doctor did not help, and in fact “were the equivalent of pouring kerosene on a raging fire,” according to his father, Ross.

Two days later Greg was gone. “We will never know what was going through his head or what he was experiencing,” said Dr. Jennifer Payne of Johns Hopkins University.

On October 27, 2018, a year after Greg’s death, nearly 300 people gathered at Northmoor Country Club (Highland Park) for the launch of the GPF Foundation. In addition to seeing a video that memorialized Greg, his parents - Nancy and Ross Friedman - talked about their son’s many accomplishments and plans for his future.

Keynote Speaker Dr. Joseph Palamar (New York University School of Medicine Langone Medical Center) advised that what happened to Greg unfortunately occurs to many others who experience severe depression after taking MDMA. “When you are using a drug like ecstasy you are playing with your brain chemicals,” Palamar said. And the risks are now greatly increased with the rising influence of adulterants in recreational drugs.

The mission of the GPF Foundation is to utilize a harm reduction approach that supports education, appropriate treatment, and overall awareness of the dangers of a “modern day Russian roulette” related to recreational drug use. The Foundation’s tagline, “Greg’s Path Forward,” is the spirit of the organization, working toward a future where the public and the medical community have the knowledge needed to combat the risks of recreational drugs.

Following the success of the 2018 event, the GPF Foundation’s Board of Directors announced that an event would be held annually to serve as the principal fundraiser while providing a setting to share news on the organization’s harm reduction activities and progress.