Twenty Dunedin residents have taken part in the focus group study investigating people’s experiences with the drugs with a view to reducing harm, but another 40 are wanted.
Honours student Sarah McGruddy said drug testing and safety measures were among the topics touched on.
"We talk a lot about people’s certain settings, so how they prepare for the trips, what they do under the influence, talking about their physical environment," Miss McGruddy said.
PhD student Jai Whelan said the interview process was "completely exploratory".
"We just have a whole bunch of questions that we have written down and we kind of go with the flow of the conversation," Mr Whelan said.
There were a wide range of views on the use, legal status and stigma of psychedelics, he said.
He believed there was an unjustified stigma on drug users, including psychedelic drug users.
"People have been using those drugs for thousands of years across the world, and it’s only since the war on drugs idea started and was pushed by President Nixon that people started to think less of people that happen to use those psychedelic drugs.
"We’re trying to push back against that because it will end up reducing harm," he said.
Better education programmes and less fear of getting help if people experienced problems were possible outcomes.
"Maybe in the long term, also legal regulation of those substances and access to them for medical use, and hopefully for recreational use as well."
One study had found psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, was at least as good as the antidepressant citalopram and psychotherapy for treating depression, and another found it could mitigate alcohol use, he said.
"There’s a lot of exciting research going on at the moment, overseas and there’s a little bit going on [in Auckland], in terms of micro-dosing."
While the practice of taking of a small amount of drugs hadn’t had "the most promising results" given its claimed effects so far, he was interested to see how this changed in future.
Recreational use also came with benefits such as enjoyment, relaxation, creativity, as long as people took measures to be safe.
However, the risk of a bid trip could not be 100% mitigated by harm reduction, he said.
"We’re not here to say that you should or should not use any drugs at all ... We’re just here to hear people out."
