Heya Continuum,
Psychedelic research is a fantastic area of study and, like your sun, I would like to expand humanity's collective knowledge about these special substances as far as I possibly can. THe psychedelic studies encompass most fields. From an anthropological vantage point, one may be able to study the effect of them on human culture. From a therapeutic perspective one may find success in using them in psychotherapy to help with trauma and various mental hinderances (i.e. autism, depression, social anxiety, etc). If one doesn't want to deal with people, pharmacological testing on animals and neuroimaging (i.e. fMRI, CT scans, etc) can help give us a better perspective of what they actually do to the body/mind when ingested. If plants are one's area of interest, analysis and investigation of sacred plants could be a good prospectof research. Most fields of study can be applied to psychedelics. What's the important part for your son is understanding WHICH aspect of psychedelics interests him most (i.e. growing them, consuming them, researching their pharmacological profiles, etc.) and then pursuing his research from that vantage point.
Another thing which I highly recommend is that he emails proffessors who are doing research in this field around the country and ask if it may be possible to assist with research in their lab. Research internships are an excellent way to get connections/Letters of Recommendation (CRUCIAL for getting DEA permits and through the ticker tape of academia) which can help one get legal permission to research these compounds later on.
However, since your son is 14, I would recommend that he start from the bottom of things and simply RESEARCH and read about these compounds. I would suggest teaching him how to grow these sacraments from seed in order to gain a respect for where they come from. Also, if he enjoys reading, give him some books on the use and chemistry/pharmacology and culture surrounding psychedelics (Huxley, Shulgin, Otto Snow, Hoffman, Don Quixote, and other such books on psychedelic use and culture are great places to start). Given his age, I wouldn't suggest that he start doing formal academic research with psychedelics in person or even consume them at this point in life. Instead he should read as much as he can on these things before he takes the plunge into active research. With research, as with anything other worthwhile activity in life that takes you places, one must crawl before they walk. At this point I would suggest he starts reading PIHKAL, TIHKAL (part 2 and 1 in that order) and perhaps some books by McKenna to get a taste of the anthropological and pharmacological/therapeutic/scientific side of things. As mentioned before, growing plants is an entheogenic activity in its own right-let him develop a relationship with the plants before his soul becomes intermingled with their spirits.
Psychedelic research in the above ground is all good and dandy but the underground aspect of research is another very important field to be involved in. A good model for this would be Shulgin: the man had the academic credentials and connections to grant him permission from the powers that be to research these compounds while also being involved in a circle of friends whom he assayed his creations with. Psychedelic research in humans can be a bureaucratic nightmare to conduct legally and will move at an extraordinarily frustratingly slow pace. I have learned more about the effects of psychedelics in humans from websites such as the nexus and erowid than I have from countless scientific publications regarding these substances. Trip reports and miscellaneous online discussions are an excellent resource for understanding the subjective effects of these compounds whereas formal scientific publications are better suited for understanding the objective aspects of these compounds. If your son is interested in knowing how they work in people, I would suggest reading up on pharmacological studies. If he wants to understand how they affect subjective experience, have him read discussions on the nexus or trip reports accross the net.
Also, entheobotany is a great field of research which has both underground and above ground research avenues. It is also a great thing for him to do for the time being-growing plants, reading some others' writings and conducting TLC at home is a great way to introduce one's self to this field for the time being. Also, plant alkaloid analysis is extremely under-researched and anyone can get involved in it! If he's up to it, why not start a mother-son entheobotany project? Growing plants and analyzing the chemical properties of various untested plant specimens (i.e. simplex seed pods, locally growing A. Farnesiana, etc) would be a great place to start.
I hope your son all the best in his endeavors. He seems like a very smart and driven person and I wish him well in his studies. Ultimately, it is up to him which avenues he should explore and how much energy he should spend exploring them. Research can be slow, difficult, rewarding and at times weirder than weird can be. It is endlessly intellectually stimulating and gives life a new sense of meaning in my own opinion. Hopefully he will stick to his guns and stay on this perilous path-patience and persistence are the backbone of the sciences.
All the best,
-Godsmacker
'"ALAS,"said the mouse, "the world is growing smaller every day. At the
beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad
when at last I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have
narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner
stands the trap that I must run into." "You only need to change your direction," said
the cat, and ate it up.' --Franz Kafka