Psilocybin for Smoking Cessation

The Beckley Foundation is sponsoring a study at Johns Hopkins University into the efficacy of psilocybin to facilitate smoking cessation. Led by Professor Roland Griffiths and Dr Matt Johnson, the project will build on the results of a recently completed pilot study in which psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy was found to be remarkably effective at helping people overcome nicotine addiction. Amazingly, 12 months after the therapeutic sessions, 80% of participants remained completely abstinent from smoking.

The team is now conducting a larger placebo-controlled trial with 80 participants, who will undergo fMRI neuroimaging in order to reveal the neurobiological changes underlying the effectiveness of psilocybin in the cessation of nicotine addiction.