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Pharmacology & Neurobiology Published by Dr. Alistair Vance (Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology) • 10 min read DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5

The 2006 Roland Griffiths Johns Hopkins Landmark Trial: The Modern Psychedelic Renaissance

Executive Summary

In 2006, Dr. Roland R. Griffiths and his research team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine published 'Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance' in Psychopharmacology. Following more than thirty years of institutional dormancy, this rigorously blinded, placebo-controlled study with healthy hallucinogen-naive volunteers marked the definitive rebirth of academic psychedelic science. The study demonstrated that a single high dose of psilocybin produced lasting positive changes in altruism, trait openness, and psychological well-being over 14 months and beyond.

1. The 30-Year Scientific Moratorium & Johns Hopkins Protocol

Following the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and international treaty scheduling, clinical research into psychedelic substances ground to a near-total halt worldwide. In 2000, Dr. Roland Griffiths secured regulatory and institutional IRB approvals to initiate human trials under contemporary safety standards.

Thirty-six hallucinogen-naive adults with active religious or spiritual practices were administered 30mg/70kg psilocybin or 40mg/70kg methylphenidate (Ritalin) across multiple blind crossover sessions.

2. The Psychometric and Long-Term Personality Shift

Conventional psychological doctrine held that adult personality traits remain essentially fixed after age thirty. Griffiths et al. demonstrated that a single guided psilocybin session resulted in significant, measurable increases in the NEO Personality Inventory domain of Openness (intellectual curiosity, artistic sensitivity, emotional depth) sustained over fourteen months.

This groundbreaking data laid the empirical foundation for psilocybin clinical trials in major depression, palliative existential anxiety, smoking cessation, and substance use disorders.

Primary Scientific Citations

  • Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology • DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
  • Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., et al. (2011). Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology • DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5
Citation (APA 7th): Vance, A. (2026). The 2006 Roland Griffiths Johns Hopkins Landmark Trial: Revitalizing human psilocybin science. Mystic Toad Science Research Index, 1(33), 466-485.