Psychedelics pioneer Roland Griffiths dies at 77

Roland Griffiths Pioneering psychedelics researcher Roland Griffiths dies at 77 - Founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Griffiths' work generated immense scientific interest and helped patients suffering with depression and addiction - Roland Griffiths, an internationally revered researcher of psychedelic and mood-altering drugs, whose research helped kickstart a new era of psychedelic study and led to the creation of the nation's first psychedelic research center, at Johns Hopkins, died on Monday, Oct. 16, at age 77. Griffiths' work generated immense scientific and philanthropic interest, including $17 million in gifts that led to the creation of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research in 2019, where he served as the founding director. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2021. Groundbreaking studies published by Griffiths and his colleagues found that psilocybin-the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms-produced experiences that resulted in substantial and sustained personal meaning, could help treat depression and had therapeutic effects in people who suffer from substance use disorder (smoking, alcohol, and misuse of other drugs) and existential distress caused by life-threatening disease. In June, David Yaden, a researcher at the center, became the inaugural recipient of the Roland R. Griffiths, Ph.D. Professorship Fund in Psychedelic Research on Secular Spirituality and Well-Being.