Psychedelic Substances Research is a new open access journal published by BMC covering all topics pertaining to psychedelic or hallucinogenic substances. The journal welcomes research and commentary of different formats covering basic, clinical and translational research, as well as epidemiology, social science, cultural studies, policy, commerce and general health & wellbeing.

Dr Ariel Richer, MSW, PhD has joined as one of the Journal's inaugural Co-Editors-in-Chief, along with Dr Ovie Albert (University of Calgary, Canada). Here, she talks about her experience and interest in psychedelic science.

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What drove you to join Psychedelic Substances Research as inaugural Editor-in-Chief?

I was drawn to the opportunity to help shape and guide the research published during such a pivotal period. Psychedelic research is expanding rapidly, legislation is changing, and there are increasingly varied ways psychedelics may be integrated into people’s lives and communities. I see this as an important moment to ensure that the science moving forward is rigorous, relevant, and responsive to the people it is meant to serve.

Tell us about your career path and the experiences that led you to joining the journal.

I am a social worker by training, with a background in intimate partner violence research and intervention grounded in community-based participatory research with Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. This has shaped an applied approach to psychedelic research—one that considers access, cultural relevance, safety, power, and control, alongside questions about whether and how an intervention can be helpful in people’s lives.

I have served as a reviewer and, more recently, as a guest editor, where I saw the value of bringing articles together into a cohesive conversation. I joined Psychedelic Substances Research because I believe a social work perspective is essential to shaping both the research we publish and how it is disseminated. Serving as inaugural co-Editor-in-Chief is a great honor and an opportunity to support rigorous, community-engaged scholarship that can meaningfully inform practice.

Why is trusted psychedelic science so important at this moment?

There is enormous potential in psychedelic research, but there is also substantial public interest, commercial pressure, and rapidly changing policy. Trusted science is essential for distinguishing promising findings from hype, identifying risks as well as benefits, and helping clinicians, policymakers, communities, and participants make informed decisions.

Trust also depends on how research is conducted. It requires transparency, methodological rigor, meaningful community engagement, and a willingness to examine whose voices and knowledge have historically been left out of the field.

What is your vision for the journal over its first few years?

My vision is for the journal to think expansively about what counts as knowledge, which methods are used to generate it, and whose knowledge is valued. We may be experiencing a psychedelic “renaissance,” but that framing can obscure the long histories, practices, and lineages of Indigenous peoples and other communities that have worked with these substances for generations.

I hope the journal becomes a home for rigorous, diverse, and community-responsive scholarship. One early priority is to launch a special collection focused on research generated by and with Indigenous communities globally.

What areas of research are you open to, or particularly excited to see?

I am especially interested in research that is meaningfully embedded in communities and includes community members as genuine partners in the research process. I welcome qualitative and mixed-methods work, as well as research that helps us understand lived experience, implementation, equity, and real-world impact.

I also have a particular interest in group-based interventions and in the training and education of the next generation of providers—from mental health professionals to physical-health clinicians—across a range of care settings.

What advice would you give to early-career researchers or those from underserved communities when submitting to Psychedelic Substances Research?

We are committed to honoring diverse forms of knowledge generation and supporting the next generation of researchers. I encourage early-career scholars and researchers from underserved communities to submit work that is thoughtful, rigorous, and grounded in the needs and experiences of the communities involved.

Your perspectives are essential to building a field that is more equitable, accountable, and useful. We want the journal to be a place where emerging researchers can contribute to shaping not only the evidence base, but also the future of psychedelic science.