Heffter Research Institute

The Heffter Research Institute was founded in 1993 to support and promote investigation into the medical uses of psychedelic hallucinogens. It is named after the German chemist and pharmacologist Arthur Heffter, who in 1897 discovered that mescaline was the active principle in the peyote cactus, used in rituals by Natives in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, and currently used as a sacrament by the Native American Church. The institute primarily funds academic and clinical scientists and as of the end of 2005 had funded approximately $1.4 million in research. Founding president of the Heffter Research Institute is David E. Nichols.