Matthew W. Johnson

Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins, is a scientist and an expert on psychedelics, other drugs, and addiction. Working with psychedelics for over 15 years, he has published 119 scientific papers with 47 on psychedelics. Matt published psychedelic safety guidelines in 2008, helping to resurrect psychedelic research. He published the first research on psychedelic treatment of tobacco addiction in 2014, and the largest study of psilocybin in treating cancer distress in 2016. His recent psilocybin review recommended placement in Schedule-IV upon medical approval. He has personally guided over 100 psychedelic sessions. Matt also conducts behavioral economic research on both addiction and sexual risk. He published the first scientific study in humans finding that administering cocaine increases sexual desire and sexual risk. He also published the first study showing that MDMA ("ecstasy" or "Molly") pill testing resulted in harm reduction by decreasing intention to consume adulterated or unintended substances. Matt has published studies on nearly all psychoactive drugs classes, with studies on cocaine, tobacco/nicotine, methamphetamine, alcohol, psilocybin, dextromethorphan, salvinorin A, GHB, cannabis, opioids, benzodiazepines, and cathinone-like compounds ("bath salts"). He is the 2019 President of the Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse Division of the American Psychological Association. Matt is also the 2019 President-Elect of the International Society for Research on Psychedelics, playing a lead role in founding this organization. Matt has been widely sought as a science communicator regarding drugs, addiction, and risk behavior, and has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, BBC, 60 Minutes, CNN, Fox Business News, NPR, CBS News, and NBC News. Matt and his research were featured in an episode of Breakthrough on the National Geographic Channel, produced by Ron Howard and directed by David Lowery, and in Michael Pollan's recent best-selling book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.