Roland Griffiths | |
|---|---|
 Griffiths in 2019 | |
| Born | Roland Redmond Griffiths (1946-07-19)July 19, 1946 Glen Cove, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 2023(2023-10-16) (aged 77) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Known for |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychopharmacology |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins |
| Thesis | The effects of pentobarbital on extinction responding in rats (1972) |
| Doctoral advisor | Travis Irving Thompson |
Roland Redmond Griffiths (July 19, 1946 – October 16, 2023) was an Americanpsychopharmacologist.[1] AtJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he was professor ofneuroscience, psychiatry, andbehavioral science, and he was the director of the Center forPsychedelic and Consciousness Research.[2]
Griffiths was born inGlen Cove, New York, on July 19, 1946.[3] His mother was a homemaker, and his father, a psychologist, became a professor at theUniversity of California, Berkeley; Griffiths grew up inEl Cerrito, California.[4] He earned his undergraduate degree fromOccidental College and hisDoctor of Philosophy from theUniversity of Minnesota inpsychopharmacology, in 1972.[4]
After completing his doctorate, Griffiths joined the faculty ofJohns Hopkins University.[4] In 1994, he published research demonstrating the addictive nature ofcaffeine as well as itswithdrawal syndrome.[5] Griffiths began studyingpsychedelic drugs in 1999.[4] His 2006 paper "Psilocybin Can Occasion Mystical-Type Experiences Having Substantial and Sustained Personal Meaning and Spiritual Significance",[6] "caused a media ruckus", according toThe New York Times, for its documentation of the "revelatory and spiritually meaningful" experiences of individuals who were givenpsilocybin.[4] His work in the field is credited with helping revive interest in clinical research into psychedelic drugs as a potential treatment for addiction,major depressive disorder, andanxiety disorders.[1][7]
In 2024, former colleague Matthew Johnson publicly criticized the soundness of the research in Griffiths' lab.[8]
Griffiths' 1973 marriage to Kristin Ann Johnson, and later to Diana Hansen, both ended in divorce.[4][9] At the time of his death, he was married to Marla Weiner. He had three children.[4]
In 2021, Griffiths was diagnosed withmetastaticcolon cancer.[4] He died at his home inBaltimore on October 16, 2023, at the age of 77.[4][10]
In 2022, Griffiths disclosed his own experiences with psychedelics.[8][11]
In 2006, he published his landmark study, straightforwardly titled 'Psilocybin Can Occasion Mystical-Type Experiences Having Substantial and Sustained Personal Meaning and Spiritual Significance.'
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