Revolutionary Boost for Harvard: Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research Receives ‘Visionary Gift’

A former Tesla director has made a groundbreaking contribution to Harvard with a generous donation of $16 million. This visionary gift from Antonio Gracias, made through the Gracias Family Foundation, aims to establish a Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture. According to the Harvard Gazette, the interdisciplinary effort will span across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Divinity School. The foundation is particularly interested in exploring the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. Harvard’s program will explore psychedelics from various perspectives, including law, policy, ethics, religion and spirituality, consciousness, literature, and art.

Noted author and Harvard professor Michael Pollan, who has extensively studied psychedelics in his works, such as his latest book, 2021’s This Is Your Mind on Plants, describes this donation as a “visionary gift” that goes beyond the medical applications of psychedelics. According to High Times, this announcement from Harvard, a prestigious institution, is monumental, especially considering that it has been 60 years since Timothy Leary was fired from Harvard for advocating the use of psychedelic drugs among his students, among other things.

“Harvard is the ideal place to explore the topic of psychedelics from new angles and to craft a framework for their legal, safe, and appropriate impact on society,” said Gracias, the founder and CEO of Valor Equity Partners. According to Quartz, Gracias, a close friend and business associate of Elon Musk, has been an early investor in SpaceX and Tesla and served on Tesla’s board from 2007 to 2021. Although it’s unclear whether he discussed the donation with Musk, Musk has expressed support for therapeutic uses of psychedelics. (Read more psychedelic drugs stories.)