100 Most Influential People in Psychedelics

Editor’s Note: Below is the original published “100 Most Influential People in Psychedelics” list. Since this publishing we have released a statement regarding the list that you can see here.


As the global COVID-19 pandemic drags on around the world, the damaging effects to mental health are becoming more and more apparent. With a 25% increase in suicide rates in young adults and over 50% of all adults reporting some type of mental health issue (depression, anxiety, stress, etc.), there has never been a better time for new treatment options. 

Although psychedelics have been used by humans for over 7,000 years across multiple different cultures, only in the past century have these medicines been outlawed by governments around the world. 

Fortunately, the past several years have seen a resurgence in awareness and interest in psychedelic medicine. This has spurred a variety of new scientific studies, new companies, and significant investor interest. 

While there have been thousands of individuals working hard to build the psychedelics ecosystem, there has been a recent flood of new influential entrants.

Psychedelic Invest has compiled a list of the top 100 most influential people in the psychedelics ecosystem. This list is focused on those who have had the largest impact for 2021. 

Our proprietary ranking system takes into account:

There are a number of individuals who have made our list that are not normally associated with psychedelics. However, due to their large social reach and their ability to share the powerful teachings of psychedelics, they have had a profound impact in raising the general public’s awareness about these medicines. 

It may seem ironic to feature a list of people who represent an industry that is supposed to dissolve ego. Psychedelic Invest’s intention with this publication is to raise awareness to a broader audience, in order to further develop the psychedelics ecosystem in a positive and sustainable manner.

By highlighting a diverse group of individuals, our hope is to spark conversation about where gaps in the ecosystem exist, how individuals can connect more effectively, and identify the various activities and accomplishments that have already taken place. 

Rank Name Followers
1

Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, and lifestyle guru. Through his social media outlets, podcast, blog, and interviews, Tim has educated hundreds of millions of people about psychedelics. He has also donated significant sums of money to several different research centers and non-profits, and has influenced the funding of several large psychedelics initiatives. Tim Ferriss is Psychedelics Invest’s number one most influential person for 2021 because of his support through his funding, utilization of his multiple massive social outlets, and his continued balanced message about the efficacy and realities of psychedelic medicines.

1.1M
2

Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan

The Joe Rogan Experience, UFC

Joe Rogan is an American comedian, podcast host, and mixed martial arts color commentator. Joe frequently interviews important psychedelics experts on his podcast, which has been ranked as one of the most popular in the world for the past decade. Many of his guests have subsequently gained significant traction from new audiences who are learning about psychedelics, mental health, and the role of plant medicines in modern society.

12.5M
3

Rick Doblin

Rick Doblin

MAPS

Rick Doblin, Ph.D, is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which he founded in 1986. Rick, and MAPS, have published hundreds of research papers, articles, and reports over the past several decades in addition to participation in dozens of clinical trials and international studies. Rick has appeared on countless media outlets and has been a speaker at dozens of major events, resulting in MAPS raising tens of millions of dollars to further develop the future of psychedelic studies.

17.3k
4

Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan

Author

Michael Pollan is an American author and journalist, who is currently the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Michael’s New York Times #1 selling How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence has exposed large new audiences to the world of psychedelics. Michael has also appeared on dozens of media outlets, including Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan.

105.5k
5

Sam Harris

Sam Harris

Making Sense Podcast

Sam Harris is an American author, philosopher, neuroscientist, and podcast host. Sam’s large social media outlets and podcast (over 1 million downloads per episode) frequently discuss psychedelics, which has opened the conversation to millions of new listeners and readers. Harris has written a variety of books that touch on the topics of consciousness, spirituality, and psychedelics.

267.9k
6

Hamilton Morris

Hamilton Morris

VICE

Hamilton Morris is an American journalist, documentarian, and scientific researcher. He is the creator and director of the television series Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, in which he investigates the chemistry, history, and cultural impact of various psychoactive drugs.

201.3k
7

Alex Grey

Alex Grey

Author

Alex Grey is an American visual artist, author, teacher, and Vajrayana practitioner known for creating spiritual and psychedelic paintings. He works in multiple forms including performance art, process art, installation art, sculpture, visionary art, and painting. Alex’s art has influenced the lives of many by communicating an aspect of the psychedelics world that words cannot describe.

1.2M
8

Tucker Max

Tucker Max

Author

Tucker Max is an American author and public speaker who has come out in strong support of psychedelic medicine after his personal experiences with MDMA. Tucker uses his large social platforms to inform his audiences of the power of psychedelic medicine and also participates in a variety on interviews and media appearances.

16.1k
9

Christian Angermayer

Christian Angermayer

Atai Life Sciences, Apeiron Investment Group

Christian Angermayer is an entrepreneur, investor and film enthusiast. He is the founder of Apeiron Investment Group, his family office and merchant banking business. Christian is also the founder of atai Life Sciences and has invested significant amounts of money into the psychedelics industry, which is currently shaping the development of the broader psychedelics ecosystem.

3.5k
10

Paul Stamets

Paul Stamets

Fungi Perfecti

Paul Stamets is an American mycologist and entrepreneur who sells various mushroom products through his company, Fungi Perfecti. He is an author and advocate of medicinal fungi and mycoremediation, and currently has 8 psilocybin related pending patents. Written in 2019, Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness & Save the Planet, Paul has had significant impact in the adoption of psychedelic medicines.

411k

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11

David Bronner

David Bronner

Dr. Bronner’s

David Bronner is an American corporate executive and activist. As the top executive at Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, he has become known for his activism around a range of issues, especially fair trade, sustainable agriculture, animal rights, and drug policy reform. In addition to significant funding initiatives, David also sits on the board of MAPS.
12

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang

Yang for New York

Andrew M. Yang is an American entrepreneur, politician, philanthropist, author, and former US presidential candidate. Originally a lawyer, Yang began working in startups and early stage growth companies as a founder or executive from 2000 to 2009. Andrew is a supporter of legalizing psychedelic drugs and has been vocal about his intentions if he were to assume a government office.

652.6k
13

Robin Carhart-Harris

Robin Carhart-Harris

The Psychedelic Research Group at Imperial

Robin Carhart-Harris is an English researcher who currently leads Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research, which became the world’s first center focused exclusively on studying how psychedelics can be used in mental-health care. Dr. Carhart-Harris is also an advisor and/or board member of numerous psychdelics startups tackling a variety of mental health issues.
14

David Nutt

David Nutt

Drug Science

David John Nutt is an English neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. He is the chairman of Drug Science, a non-profit which he founded in 2010 to provide independent, evidence-based information on drugs.
15

Matthew Johnson

Matthew Johnson

Johns Hopkins University

Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins. He is one of the world’s most published scientists on the human effects of psychedelics, and has conducted seminal research in the behavioral economics of drug use, addiction, and risk behavior.
16

Roland Griffiths

Roland Griffiths

Johns Hopkins University

Roland Redmond Griffiths is an American psychopharmacologist. He is professor of neuroscience, psychiatry and behavioral science, and director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
17

Ben Sessa

Ben Sessa

Awakn

Ben Sessa is an English psychiatrist, researcher, and author. Dr. Sessa is also the Chief Medical Officer of Awakn Life Sciences, and has been a part of scientific and clinical studies administering LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and DMT to patients and volunteers.

305
18

Brian Muraresku

Brian Muraresku

Author

Brian Muraresku is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name. Published in late 2020, Brian has since appeared on dozens of media outlets, including Joe Rogan’s podcast, CNN, and Vice.

3.8k
19

Dennis McKenna

Dennis McKenna

McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy

Dennis McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He has appeared on numerous media outlets, conducted a variety of research projects, and sits on the board of the Heffter Research Institute.
20

Steven and Alexandra Cohen

Steven and Alexandra Cohen

Major donors

Steven and Alexandra Cohen have been significant donors to psychedelic research through their foundation. Johns Hopkins, the Lundquist Institute, MAPS, and the California Institute of Integral Studies have been just some of the recipients.

3.3k

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21

Rick Strassman

Rick Strassman

Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Rick Strassman is an American clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He has appeared on a variety of media outlets, including The Joe Rogan Experience, and is the author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, which summarizes his academic research into DMT.
22

David Nichols

David Nichols

Heffter Research Institute

David Earl Nichols is an American pharmacologist and medicinal chemist. David is the founding president of the Heffter Research Institute, has published hundreds of research papers, and is considered to be one of the world’s top experts on psychedelics.
23

Stanislav Grof

Stanislav Grof

Grof Legacy Training

Stanislav Grof, also known as Stan Grof, is a Czech-born psychiatrist who has been living in the United States from the 1960s.
24

James Fadiman

James Fadiman

Sofia University

James Fadiman is an American psychologist and writer. He is acknowledged for his extensive work in the field of psychedelic research. He co-founded along with Robert Frager the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, which later became Sofia University, where he was a lecturer in psychedelic studies.
25

Amanda Feilding

Amanda Feilding

Beckley Foundation

Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss and March is an English drug policy reformer, lobbyist and research coordinator.
26

Ekaterina Malievskaia

Ekaterina Malievskaia

Compass Pathways

Ekaterina received her medical degree from St Petersburg Medical Academy and then moved to the US where she completed her Internal Medicine residency training. She was a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as a Research Professor at City University of New York. Ekaterina is the Chief Innovation Officer an Co-Founder of Compass Pathways.
27

George Goldsmith

George Goldsmith

Compass Pathways

George Goldsmith is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Compass Pathways. He is an entrepreneur dedicated to bringing about positive change in society with particular focus on health and wellbeing. Previous to Compass Pathways, George founded and led multiple companies to success.
28

JR Rahn

JR Rahn

MindMed

JR is the co-founder, board director, and CEO of MindMed, which is the first psychdelics company to go public. He is a former Silicon Valley tech executive who realized that transformational solutions to mental illness and addiction might lie in psychedelic medicines.
29

Florian Brand

Florian Brand

atai Life Sciences

Florian Brand is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ATAI Life Sciences. Florian also sits on the board of Compass Pathways, Perception Neuroscience, EtheogeniX Biosciences, GABA Therapeutics, and Innoplexus.
30

Lars Christian Wilde

Lars Christian Wilde

Compass Pathways, atai Life Sciences

Lars is a the co-founder, President, and Chief Business Officer of Compass Pathways. Lars is also the co-founder of atai Life Sciences, and sits on the boards of several companies.

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31

Peter Attia

Peter Attia

Attia Medical PC

Peter Attia is a Canadian-American physician that explores strategies and tactics to increase lifespan, healthspan, and well-being, and optimize cognitive, physical, and emotional health. Peter’s podcast has tens of millions of downloads, with many episodes discussing psychedelics and mental health.

174.2k
32

Duncan Trussell

Duncan Trussell

The Duncan Trussell Family Hour Podcast

Duncan Trussell is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comic, known for his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour and as the co-creator of the Netflix series The Midnight Gospel. Duncan’s content often discusses psychedelics.

381.1k
33

Ronan Levy

Ronan Levy

Field Trip

Ronan Levy is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Field Trip. He is also a partner at Grassfed Ventures, a venture capital and advisory firm focused on the cannabis and biotech industries and is Chief Strategy Officer and Member of the Board of Directors for Trait Biosciences Inc., a leading biotech company in the hemp and cannabis industries.
34

Paul F. Austin

Paul F. Austin

The Third Wave

Paul is the author of the book Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide to Upgrade Your Life and the founder and CEO of Third Wave and co-founder of Synthesis.
35

Payton Nyquvest

Payton Nyquvest

Numinus

Payton is the founder and CEO of Numinus. Prior to Numinus he served in multiple positions with Mackie Research Capital, Jordan Capital Markets, and Canaccord Financial.

1.6k
36

David Champion

David Champion

Maya

David is the CEO and Co-Founder of Maya and a Director at Unlimited Sciences. Previously, David was co-founder & CPO at cannabis company Baker Technologies.
37

Andrew Chadeayne

Andrew Chadeayne

CaamTech

Dr. Andrew Chadeayne is the Founder and CEO of CaaMTech, which is leading the charge to map the chemical and patent landscapes of the psychedelics space.
38

Sam Chapman

Sam Chapman

Healing Advocacy Fund

Sam is the Executive Director of the Healing Advocacy Fund, which is the nonprofit organization supporting the implementation of Measure 109 in Oregon.
39

Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary

MindMed / Shark Tank

Kevin O’Leary is a Canadian businessman, author, politician, and television personality. O’Leary has been an outspoken proponent of psychedelic medicines and an early investor in the company MindMed.

700.1k
40

Anne Philippi

Anne Philippi

The New Health Club

Former journalist at Vanity Fair and GQ, Anne Philippi, founded The New Health Club – a lifestyle platform for mental wellness, mental health, and the new psychedelic culture – in 2019. Today she shares stories, youtube videos, research, and interviews with her growing audience all in praise of neural awareness.

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41

Doug Drysdale

Doug Drysdale

Cybin

In his 30-year career as a leader and entrepreneur, Drysdale has led hundreds of biopharma business development transactions, closed 15 M&A transactions around the world, created a $500mm startup, co-founded a CNS development company, developed pipelines of pharmaceutical products, and has led both private and public companies. In September 2020, he was appointed to CEO of psychedelics-focused life sciences company Cybin Corp.
42

Joshua Bartch

Joshua Bartch

Mydecine

David Joshua Bartch is Director, President & CEO of Mydecine Innovations Group. Mr. Bartch’s entrepreneurial career took off in 2009 when he co-founded AudioTranscriptionist.com and founded the Denver based dispensary, Doctors Orders. Following these ventures, Mr. Bartch founded a boutique investment firm that operated throughout the U.S. and Canadian markets. In 2014, Bartch co-founded Cannabase.io, the USA’s most significant legal and sophisticated cannabis wholesale platform. In 2015, Cannabase.io was acquired by Helix TCS.
43

Shlomi Raz

Shlomi Raz

Eleusis

Shlomi is the founder and CEO of Eleusis. Since founding Eleusis in 2013, Shlomi has overseen the company’s corporate and clinical development efforts. Prior to founding Eleusis, Shlomi was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, and held a similar role at JPMorgan where he began his corporate career. Shlomi holds an MA in psychology from New York University and a BS in finance from Georgetown University.
44

Julie Holland

Julie Holland

Psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist

Julie Holland is an American psychopharmacologist, psychiatrist, and author. She is the author of five books, including Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER, a memoir documenting her experience as the weekend head of the psychiatric emergency room at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. An advocate for the appropriate use of consciousness-expanding substances as part of mental health treatment, she is a medical monitor for MAPS studies, which involve, in part, developing psychedelics into prescription medication.

2.4k
45

Gabor Mate

Gabor Mate

Physician

Gabor Maté CM is a Hungarian-Canadian physician. He has a background in family practice and a special interest in childhood development and trauma, and in their potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, including on autoimmune disease, cancer, ADHD, addictions, and a wide range of other conditions.
46

Rosalind Watts

Rosalind Watts

Imperial College London

Dr Rosalind Watts is a clinical psychologist, and the clinical lead of the Psilocybin for Depression trial at Imperial College London. She is interested in the theme of ‘connectedness to Self, others, and the world’ as an important aspect of psychedelic treatment.
47

Bia Labate

Bia Labate

Chacruna

Bia Labate. is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines (http://chacruna.net, https://chacruna-la.org). She is Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and Adjunct Faculty at the East-West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is also co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-two books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles.
48

David Rabin

David Rabin

Psychedelic News Hour

Dr. David Rabin, MD, PhD, is a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, health tech entrepreneur & inventor who has been studying the impact of chronic stress in humans for more than a decade. He is the co-founder of Apollo Neuroscience, the co-founder & executive director of The Board of Medicine, and a venture partner at Noetic Fund. Dr. Rabin is also the co-host of Psychedelic News Hour, a clubhouse room dedicated to bringing together the brightest minds in the burgeoning field of psychedelic medicine.

4.5k
49

Jonathan Sporn

Jonathan Sporn

Gilgamesh

Jonathan is the CEO and founder of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Gilgamesh – a platform company developing an oral arylcyclohexylamine & the next generation of psychedelic-related medicines with novel benefits, improved safety profiles, and strong IP – Jonathan spent time as a Harvard and NIH Scientist, drug developer in neurology and psychiatry at J&J and Pfizer, Sr Director in R&D and Business Development (Lyrica, Pristiq), sole founder of Perception Neuroscience that exited to ATAI, and inventor of solriamfetol (Sunosi®) and R-ketamine for substance use disorders (patent filed)
50

Sa’ad Shah

Sa’ad Shah

Noetic Fund

Sa’ad Shah is the co-founder and managing partner of Noetic, a venture capital firm that seeks to invest in emerging and early-stage psychedelic-based wellness, therapeutic and pharmaceutical companies around the world. Sa’ad has spent the last 22 years in capital markets and asset management industry with a focus on alternative investment strategies. Prior to co-founding Noetic, Sa’ad was a managing director at The Carlyle Group. Sa’ad is also a the co-founder and managing partner at Grey House Partners, venture partner at Alpha Partners, an affiliate partner at Lindsay Goldberg LLC, and a venture advisor to Learn Capital LLC.

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51

Daniel Carcillo

Daniel Carcillo

Wesana Health

Since he retired from professional hockey more than five years ago, two-time Stanley Cup winner Daniel Carcillo has made raising awareness and advocating for survivors of traumatic brain injury, or TBI his full-time job. Now, as the founder and CEO of Wesana Health, a company focusing on developing treatment for the condition that took him out of the game, he wants others who have suffered TBI’s debilitating effects to experience the potential benefits of psilocybin.

28.5k
52

Ian McCall

Ian McCall

The McCall Method

Former mixed martial artist, Ian McCall, has created an integration program for high-performance athletes and performers called The McCall Method. Today, McCall develops protocols for integrating the lessons learned during a psychedelic experience for athletes, couples, and families.

74.4k
53

Dr. Carl Hart

Dr. Carl Hart

Neuroscientist

Dr. Carl Hart is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Columbia University. Hart is known for his research in drug abuse and drug addiction. Dr. Hart has appeared on multiple podcasts, radio and television shows including Real Time with Bill Maher, The O’Reilly Factor, and the Joe Rogan Experience. He has also appeared in several documentary films including the award-winning “The House I Live In.”
54

Ian McDonald

Ian McDonald

Bright Minds

Mr. McDonald is an entrepreneur and former Investment Banker. Prior to BMB, he served on the management team at a TSX-listed gold mining company. In that capacity, McDonald developed and implemented the corporate strategy as it relates to M&A and capital markets resulting in a $160 million sale within one year. Previously, he worked in a senior role at a Canadian Investment Bank and in private equity in Vancouver, London and Toronto. Under McDonald’s guidance, clients raised hundreds of millions of dollars in capital. Ian has served as a member of the Board of Directors of several TSX Venture Exchange, Canadian Securities Exchange-listed and private companies.
55

Molly Maloof

Molly Maloof

Psychedelic News Hour

Dr. Molly Maloof is a lecturer within the Wellness Department of the Medical School at Stanford University. Since 2012 she has worked as an independent advisor or consultant to over 45 companies throughout the world needing help with clinical strategy, scientific marketing, medical & market research, & product development. She is also the co-host of Psychedelic News Hour, a clubhouse room dedicated to bringing together the brightest minds in the burgeoning field of psychedelic medicine.

33.2k
56

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Boxer

In 2019, boxing legend, Mike Tyson, smoked a drug derived from toad venom (5-MeO-DMT). Ever since this earth-shattering experience with the psychedelic drug, Tyson has leveraged his large following to help advocate for psychedelic experiences in several interviews and podcasts. Tyson says his 5-MeO-DMT experience is what led him into becoming a more open person and is what ultimately inspired his return to boxing. Tyson and his partners recently formed The Ranch Companies, which owns and operates Tyson Ranch, The Ranch at Palm Desert, the KIND Music Festival.

14.6M
57

Yaron Conforti

Yaron Conforti

Novamind

Yaron and his team at Novamind aim to capitalize on todays burgeoning industry by creating and operating a network of mental health clinics and research sites to be able to offer psychedelic treatment at scale to the public. Conforti is an entrepreneur and the principal of EmmCap Corp., an investor in venture-stage companies. EmmCap actively participates in its early-stage investments via board and management roles. Yaron has over 20 years of venture capital investing and operating experience, including founder and CEO roles in companies across different industries. Past EmmCap investments include Abacus Health Products (acquired by Charlotte’s Web), GR Silver Mining, IM Cannabis, and Enveric Biosciences.
58

Aubrey Marcus

Aubrey Marcus

Onnit

Aubrey Marcus is an experimentalist, unconventional fitness junkie, and human optimizer. He is the CEO of Onnit, an optimal human performance company that he has built into one of the fastest growing companies in America. …

469.1k
59

Rachel Yehuda

Rachel Yehuda

Professor

Rachel Yehuda is a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, the Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs in the Psychiatry Department, and the Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
60

Berner

Berner

Cookies/Caps

Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., better known by his stage name Berner, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he’s credited with the creation of multiple companies including Cookies, and is heavily active in the California-based cannabis trade market. His latest project, dubbed Caps by Cookies, is Berners first step into the psychedelic market that combines mushrooms – medicinal but not psychedelic, terpenes, CBD, CBG, and CBN, for a non-psychoactive, uplifting experience. A THC version is expected to follow, and potentially one with psychedelic mushrooms.

1.6M

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61

Dustin Robinson

Dustin Robinson

Mr Psychedelic Law & Iter Investments

Dustin Robinson is licensed in Florida as an attorney, a Certified Public Accountant, and a Real Estate Agent. He focuses his practice on providing legal, accounting, financial, and business consultation to various businesses and doctors operating in the marijuana and psychedelics industries. After being introduced to the psychedelic industry, Dustin decided that it was time to push the psychedelic movement forward by building a team of the top medical, spiritual, and legal professionals in Florida with a focus on responsible legal reform.

7.6k
62

Timothy Ko

Timothy Ko

Entheon

Current CEO of Entheon Biomedical, Timothy Ko, has a broad background of leading private ventures in the Service Sector, Investor Relations, Retail and Technology. Timothy’s passion for the psychedelic space is shaped by firsthand knowledge of the shortcomings of the current mental health system, and through his exposure to psychedelics which he credits with saving his life.
63

Lucia Huang

Lucia Huang

Osmind

Lucia previously worked to help find cures for ALS and Parkinson’s at Verge Genomics, an AI-driven neuroscience biotech startup. At Verge, she helped scale the company from seed to post-Series A. She previously invested in innovative healthcare technology companies at Warburg Pincus. Lucia started her career advising pharmaceutical companies in investment banking. Lucia graduated Yale with a B.S. in Chemistry and earned an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was also awarded a Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation. At Stanford, Lucia focused her studies on healthcare and co-led the GSB Healthcare Club. Lucia is passionate about mental health and has devoted her career to improving healthcare, from life sciences to new technology innovation.
64

David Olson

David Olson

Delix Therapeutics

David studied chemistry and biology at Union College and received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University. After his graduate work, he completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. David joined the faculty at UC Davis in 2015, where he established a research program at the interface of chemistry and neuroscience. Olson Lab’s research – which studies the basic mechanisms of how small molecules promote neural plasticity, and we develop novel therapeutics for treating neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and addiction – led to the founding of Delix Therapeutics. Through its discovery platform, Delix has identified a class of non-hallucinogenic versions of psychedelic compounds with favorable safety and therapeutic profiles.
65

Ingmar Gorman

Ingmar Gorman

Fluence

Dr. Ingmar Gorman is a co-founder of Fluence, a psychedelic education company training mental health providers in psychedelic treatments. As a psychologist, he shares his expertise in empirically supported psychedelic treatments with his clients and trainees alike. Dr. Gorman received his clinical training in New York City at the New School for Social Research, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, Columbia University, and Bellevue Hospital. He completed his NIH postdoctoral fellowship at New York University. He simultaneously served as site co-principal investigator on an FDA approved Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is currently a study therapist on the same study, as well as another FDA approved clinical trial of psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. Dr. Gorman has published on the topics of classic psychedelics, ketamine, MDMA, and Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration.
66

Zach Haigney

Zach Haigney

The Trip Report

The Trip Report is a newsletter for the builders of the emerging psychedelic ecosystem that covers the business, policy, and impact of psychedelics. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Zach writes an email newsletter about what’s happening in psychedelics that actually matters, and what it means. He picks out the news and ideas that you don’t want to miss in all the noise and give them context and analysis. Zach’s been writing it since May of 2019.
67

Graham Pechenik

Graham Pechenik

Calyx Law

Prior to founding Calyx Law in 2016, Graham gained over a decade of experience representing numerous companies in the agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech, and technology industries. In college, Graham chose his science majors after his first experiences with psychedelics inspired deep curiosity about the chemical and neural bases for changes in consciousness. A continued desire to push for the legality of cannabis and psychedelics drove the decision to enter law school, with the dream of becoming an advocate for cognitive liberty. A decade after graduating law school, Graham was finally able to combine his personal and professional interests, by starting a legal practice focused on cannabis and psychedelics. Graham contributes to Psilocybin Alpha as editor-at-large, providing data for patent trackers and writing about IP in the psychedelics space.
68

James Keim

James Keim

Mimosa Therapeutics

James Keim is a psychotherapist. He co-authored the book “The Violence of Men,” has received Fulbright Specialist grants and has taught trauma at over 10 international universities as a visiting lecturer. Keim has always been very impressed with the power of psychedelics and its future impact on trauma. It’s what led him to become the CEO of Mimosa, a new company that’s building on the psilocybin work done previously by, OLP Therapeutics, with a focus on developing psychedelic mushroom products that are precise, predictable and repeatable for the purposes of medical research.
69

Joby Pritzker

Joby Pritzker

Major donor & MAPS boardmember

Joby Pritzker is Manager of Direct Investments at his family office Tao Capital Partners. Tao has made investments in innovative healthcare, sustainable food and agriculture, electric transportation, and other companies that seek to have a positive impact on the world. He has also made investments in the legal cannabis industry, such as MJ Freeway and Pax Labs.He is on the Board of the Libra Foundation, a family foundation with an emphasis on human rights. In addition to serving on the Board of MAPS, he is also the Chairman of the Board of the Marijuana Policy Project.
70

Jackie von Salm

Jackie von Salm

Psilera

Dr. Jacqueline von Salm is a biochemist and the Co-Founder and CSO of Psilera Bioscience. She primarily works with plant substances to find drug treatments for neurological conditions. Not only is Jackie a leader in the scientific community and a role model to many young women, she is also the winner of the 2020 ElSohly Award.

The Complete Guide to Psychedelic Legalization

71

Chris Witowski

Chris Witowski

Psilera

Co-Inventor on multiple patent applications for the discovery of Antarctic sponge terpenoids with antibiotic and anti-viral activity and multiple drug delivery systems for increasing the bioavailability of cannabinoids and terpenes. As the fifth employee of AltMed Enterprises (AME), Chris has also helped design and build multiple facilities and labs around the country and launched an international product line. He has personally witnessed the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and dispassionate end-of-life cancer treatments which led him to co-found Psilera Bioscience to use psychoactive natural products as a starting point to treat mental health afflictions and significantly improve the lives of patients.
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Bruce Tobin

Bruce Tobin

Therapsil

Dr. Tobin received his doctorate from University of Washington in 1983, specializing in philosophy of psychology. He has been in private practice psychotherapy for 35 years, specializing in the treatment of anxiety, depression and emotional trauma. He taught clinical skills for 25 years at University of Victoria, where he was Adjunct Assistant Professor and a member of the Graduate Faculty. He worked under contract with Health Canada for 20 years providing psychological services to First Nations communities in the Victoria area. He is interested in the interface between psychology and spirituality, and the role that altered states of consciousness play in enhancing clinical processes.
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Spencer Hawkswell

Spencer Hawkswell

Therapsil

Spencer was first introduced to healing psychological trauma with altered states of consciousness and therapeutic psychedelics from reading the work of Terrence McKenna, Rick Strassman, and Carl Jung and believes that these methods need to be treated seriously by governments and institutions. Spencer believes that responsible drug policy requires effective organization and leadership and is dedicated to bringing together the experts and advocates, to facilitate change that results in increased access to compassionate care, harm reduction, and treatment options for those in need. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is a reasonable treatment option for palliative patients in end-of-life distress and is where we need to begin
74

Cosmo Feilding-Mellen

Cosmo Feilding-Mellen

Beckley Psytech

Psychedelics are a shared passion in Cosmo’s family. In 1998 his mother, Amanda Feilding, set up the Beckley Foundation, a non-profit NGO which has been responsible for initiating some of the most ground-breaking research into psychedelics in the last two decades. As a result, Cosmo grew up surrounded by several of the most respected figures in the field. He even participated as a test subject in the first ever brain imaging studies on both psilocybin and LSD. Initially, Cosmo contributed to the psychedelic space by increasing awareness thanks to a couple of his feature documentaries which ended up on Netflix. Today, Cosmo has turned his focus to conducting high-quality research and taking lead compounds (i.e. 5-MeO-DMT) through clinical development towards a pharmaceutical license at his newly formed company, Beckley Psytech.
75

Martijn Schirp

Martijn Schirp

Synthesis

Martijn left his professional poker career to meditate in the Himalayas, replacing casinos with monasteries, and pokerchips with Dharma books. Returning home, he studied interdisciplinary science and philosophy (phenomenology in particular), before immersing himself into the shamanistic practices of the Amazon. A curious explorer, Martijn attempts to bridge entrepreneurship with being a Bodhisattva. At this point in time, he is the Executive Director of Synthesis, a psilocybin center in Amsterdam that offers safe, legal, medically supervised psychedelic retreats.
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Dylan Beynon

Dylan Beynon

Mindbloom

Dylan grew up with serious mental illness in his family, and he lost his mom to it as a teenager. It hurt and harmed more than he knew at the time. In 2009, his journey of healing and growth led to psychedelic medicine, and it changed his life. In 2018, it led to ketamine therapy, and it’s still changing his life. Dylan thought it could help more people, too, so he teamed up with Dr. Casey Paleos, a pioneering psychiatrist and psychedelic researcher to help form Mindbloom. Their platform helps licensed psychiatric clinicians achieve better outcomes for their patients with lower costs, greater convenience, and an artfully crafted experience.
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Chi Psilocybin

Chi Psilocybin

Truffles Therapy

Chi Psilocybin is a psilocybin guide, advocate, and retreat facilitator. He is the co-founder of Truffles Therapy, a psilocybin retreat organization that has guided hundreds of people on their journeys. He also helped form the founders of Global Alliance of Psilocybin Practitioners, which provides community, training, and mentorship for guides and connects those seeking the medicine with those providing safe access. They advise individuals and companies involved in the emerging psychedelic industry.
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Noah Potter

Noah Potter

Psychedelic Law

Noah Potter is the founder of the Psychedelic Law Blog which has the goal to establish the field of “psychedelic law.” In 2018, he helped guide the Decriminalize Denver campaign in the process of drafting the initiative text. In 2020, he co-founded New Yorkers for Mental Health Alternatives, an advocacy group dedicated to psychedelic law reform in New York.
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Shelby Hartman

Shelby Hartman

Doubleblind

Shelby Hartman is the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Double Blind Mag, a newly launched magazine on psychedelics. Shelby has written many long-form journalistic stories at sites such as LA Weekly, VICE, Rolling Stone, the Huffington Post, Quartz.
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Madison Margolin

Madison Margolin

Doubleblind

Madison Margolin is the Co-founder and Managing Editor of Doubleblind, a newly launched magazine on psychedelics. Madison also focuses her writing on Judaism, culture, policy, and science.

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Jonathan de Potter

Jonathan de Potter

Behold Retreats

Jonathan is the founder of Behold Retreats and advocates for elevating consciousness and working on oneself as the most meaningful way to improve the world. As a thought-leader in psychedelic plant medicine, his priority is to guide others to maximize the benefits, and to raise education and awareness on the subject. Prior to founding Behold Retreats, Jonathan worked as a strategy consultant at Accenture & Country Manager for Capco Thailand, supporting F500 companies with their digital strategy & technology transformations.
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Tania de Jong

Tania de Jong

Mind Medicine Australia

Tania de Jong is the Co-Founder and Board Director of Mind Medicine Australia, a registered charity acting as the central node for regulatory-approved and research-backed psychedelic medicines to assist with the treatment of mental health in Australia.
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Henrik Jungaberle

Henrik Jungaberle

MIND Foundation

Henrik Jungaberle is the Director of the MIND Foundation, a psychedelic science and education organization, and CEO of OVID Health Systems, a clinic for psychedelic treatments and center of human development.
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Tyler Bryden

Tyler Bryden

Speak AI

Tyler Bryden is the Founder of Speak AI, an intelligent digital companion designed to improve your personal and professional life. Tyler is also a psychedelics advocate who created the first Psychedelic Community in London, Ontario.
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Joe Moore

Joe Moore

Psychedelics Today

Joe Moore began exploring psychedelics after discovering the work of transpersonal psychology founder Dr. Stanislav Grof when he was a philosophy student at Plymouth State University in 2001. Joe has been studying and practicing Grof’s Holotropic breathwork method at the Vermont-based Dreamshadow Group since 2003 and co-founded Boston Holotropic to facilitate breathwork workshops throughout New England. Skilled in speaking, research, writing, and leadership, Joe founded Evolver Boston in 2008 and organized the Ayahuasca Monologues in Boston in 2011. He has facilitated legal psychedelic mushroom sessions in Jamaica, offers breathwork workshops in Breckenridge, Colorado, and is a board member of the nonprofit ‘Psychedelic Club’ which has chapters across the United States.

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Josh Hardman

Josh Hardman

Psilocybin Alpha

Josh Hardman is the Founder of Psilocybin Alpha, a website dedicated to exploring the psychedelics industry. Josh is also a Senior Associate at Noetic Fund, a psychedelics venture capital fund.
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Richard Skaife

Richard Skaife

The Conscious Fund

Richard Skaife is a Founding Partner at The Conscious Fund, an early stage fund investing in the next generation of global companies focused on solving the worlds mental health and addiction challenges using psychedelic treatments. Richard is also a board member at Hive Bio, on the advisory board of Microdose.Buzz, and on the advisory board of the Psychedelic Medicine Association.
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Lynn Marie Morski

Lynn Marie Morski

Psychedelic Medicine Association

Dr. Lynn Marie Morski is a physician, attorney, and lifelong “quitting” enthusiast. She practices medicine at the Veterans Administration and shares her love of strategic quitting through speaking, coaching, and her podcast, Quit Happens. Dr. Morski is also the President of the Psychedelic Medicine Association, a society of physicians, therapists, and healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing education regarding the therapeutic uses of psychedelic medicines.

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Dick Simon

Dick Simon

Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at Massachusetts General Hospital

Dick Simon is the Chairman for the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, Founder of the YPO Psychedelic Medicines for Mental Health Group, and Co-Founder of Boston Psychedelic Research Group (BPRG).
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Todd Shapiro

Todd Shapiro

Red Light Holland

Todd Shapiro is the CEO of Red Light Holland, an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal, recreational market within the Netherlands.

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91

Judy Blumstock

Judy Blumstock

Diamond Therapeutics

One of Canada’s top health science executives, Ms. Blumstock has over 25 years of venture capital and private equity experience, spanning early to late-stage investments in life sciences and biotechnology. She has spent more than ten years as the executive director of corporate development at Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP), formerly known as MaRS Innovation. TIAP specializes in venture building for early-stage health science technologies and takes leading-edge research from discovery to market. Before this, Ms. Blumstock was a principal with Genesys Capital, one of the largest Canadian-based venture-capital firms focused exclusively on the life sciences industry. She was a partner with RBC Capital Partners life sciences fund. Ms. Blumstock was also the director of biological and pharmaceutical research at Drug Royalty Corporation (now DRI Capital Inc.), which provides financial solutions in exchange for royalties to health-related organizations worldwide. She is an advisor to the preclinical biotechnology company Bright Angel Therapeutics, and to Bitnobi, a privacy protected data sharing platform. Ms. Blumstock has an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School in New York. Her BSc in biology is from the University of Toronto.
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Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel

Thiel Capital

Peter Thiel is a German-American billionaire entrepreneur and venture capitalist. A co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, he was the first outside investor in Facebook. Peter has led multiple funding rounds in ATAI Life Sciences and works closely with Christian Angermayer.
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Sutton King

Sutton King

Journey Collab

Sutton King, MPH (Menominee/Oneida), is an Indigenous Health Advocate, Researcher and Social Entrepreneur dedicated to developing and scaling innovative solutions to improve Indigenous health equity across sectors. She supports research to increase the visibility surrounding Indigenous health outcomes and access to mental health care for Urban Natives through her roles as President and Executive Director of the Urban Indigenous Collective a grassroots organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Urban Natives and Co-Founder of ShockTalk a telebehavioral application connecting Native users to Native therapists. She is also the Chief Impact Officer for Journey Colab, a biotech company decolonizing their approach to drug development.

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James Rucker

James Rucker

Psychiatrist

Dr. James Rucker is a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Senior Clinical Lecturer in mood disorders and psychopharmacology at the Centre for Affective Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London (UK). There, Dr. Rucker leads the Psychedelic Trials Group with novel drugs such as the active ingredient of magic mushrooms (psilocybin).
95

Michael Auerbach

Michael Auerbach

Subversive Capital

Michael Auerbach is the founder of Subversive Capital, but more specifically for psychedelics, the General Partner of Subversive Capital Ventures, which has made many investments in psychedelic companies. Michael also sits on the Board of Directors of Tilray, Inc. – the first Nasdaq-listed global cannabis company – and holds several directorships with companies that Subversive invests in.
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Marik Hazan

Marik Hazan

Tabula Rasa

Marik Hazan is the Founder and CEO of Tabula Rasa Ventures, a a Venture Capital firm focused on opportunistic investing in the psychedelics space. Marik is an engineer and advocate who has worked across “counter culture” industries. He founded Iliac which built technology for the sex workers’ rights movement, worked with decentralized governance organizations including Aragon and Democracy Earth, and growth for many of Silicon Valleys top startups including Clearbit, Segment, and Envoy.
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Adriana Kertzer

Adriana Kertzer

Plant Medicine Law Group

Adriana Kertzer is a co-founder of Plant Medicine Law Group, a boutique psychedelics and cannabis law firm founded in 2020. She leads Faith + Psychedelics (a community for Jews, Christians and Muslims passionate about the potential role psychedelics can play in their own religions and exploring how psychedelics can benefit these existing religious traditions) and founded JewWhoTokes, an Instagram account that explores relationships with cannabis and psychedelics in the Jewish community.

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98

Peter Rands

Peter Rands

Small Pharma

Peter has always had a passion for pharmaceutical innovation. Peter graduated from Oxford in 2003 with a first class degree in Chemistry, following which he trained and qualified as a UK and European patent attorney specializing in pharmaceuticals. In 2008 Peter joined Teva, a generic drug giant, to work directly with pharmaceutical formulation teams. Peter left Teva in 2011 to return to private practice with AmLaw 100 firm Mintz Levin, where he advised start-up and mid-cap innovative pharma firms on IP and legal matters. He left Mintz Levin in 2015 to set up Small Pharma.
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Mendel Kaelen

Mendel Kaelen

Wavepaths

Mendel is the founder and CEO of Wavepaths, a company that researches and develops methods that leverage the psychotherapeutic potential of music. Prior to Wavepaths, Mendel worked as a PhD student and post-doctoral neuroscientist at Imperial College London, where he pioneered a central of role of music in psychedelic therapies. He consults on the therapeutic use of music, publishes and speaks frequently on this topic, and has been featured in Nature News, San Francisco Chronicles, Vice Motherboard, Rolling Stone, TEDx, Wired, GQ, Even Standard a.o. Mendel lives and works in London (UK).
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Joe Green

Joe Green

Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative

Joe Green is a social entrepreneur who has spent his career addressing significant challenges by marrying technology with community organizing. He is also a co-founder and President of the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative, a donor network that supports research and clinical trials of physician-prescribed psychedelic medicines. He is co-founder and chairman of Treehouse, an organization that builds communal housing apartment buildings in Los Angeles. Joe co-founded Causes, which empowered more than 100 million people to make an impact; NationBuilder, a leading software provider for organizers; and FWD.us, which has mobilized the tech community around immigration and criminal justice reform.

Psychedelic Invest created this “Most Influential People in Psychedelics” list based on hundreds of individuals who are actively involved in the psychedelics ecosystem. Using our proprietary ranking system, which takes into account everything from social reach to scientific research, we have ranked the top 100 people. 

However, there are many individuals who are currently building and contributing significant value for the entire psychedelics community who did not make our top 100. Although we are currently tracking thousands of individuals and data points through the industry’s largest database, it’s likely that we have missed something. 

Do you have something you’re working on that we should know about? Do you know someone that is doing something amazing for the psychedelics ecosystem? Let us know below:

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