Richards has researched the use of entheogens in the treatment of alcoholism, severe neuroses, narcotic addiction, and the psychological distress associated with terminal cancer, and also their use in the training of religious and mental-health professionals from 1967 to 1977. Currently, Richards is a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry, Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the senior fellow for the Council on Spiritual Practices. He is widely published in the field of psychoactive substances research and has collaborated with scholars such as Walter Pahnke, Stanislav Grof, R. R. Griffiths, Ralph Metzner, and several others.