Johns Hopkins Medicine is launching a psychedelic research center with the help of 17 million dollars from private donors.

According to the New York Times, researchers say the new infrastructure and funding will help give the study of psychedelics a foothold in establishment science. 

The first-of-its-kind center will focus on testing benefits of LSD and psilocybin on a range of mental illnesses: addiction, anorexia, depression, and Alzheimers. Critics of psychedelic studies have raised concerns about possible placebo effects of hallucinogenic drugs, but Johns Hopkins researchers say that’s being taken into account when designing experiments. What questions do you have about psychedelic drugs? Call Airtalk to share your thoughts.

Guests:

Roland Griffiths, MD, director of Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins

Charles Grob, MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine; director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center