Researchers at Hopkins have been studying psychedelic drugs since 2000, when it was the first medical research institution to receive federal approval to conduct such studies in healthy volunteers. It has since studied primarily psilocybin, the chemical found in psychedelic mushrooms, which its researchers found can significantly reduce anxiety, depression and other emotional distress in cancer patients and can help patients quit smoking. The researchers also have looked at salvia, a hallucinogenic drug once popular with celebrities, and MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly.