Magic mushrooms become most-used psychedelic drug in US

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Magic mushrooms have overtaken ecstasy as the most-used psychedelic drug, according to a new study.

Researchers found psilocybin mushrooms - once synonymous with the hippy movement - are the psychedelic substance most often taken in the United States.

The popularity of psilocybin mushrooms - popularly known as "magic mushrooms" - has outpaced other psychedelic substances such as MDMA - known as ecstasy, Molly or Mandy, according to the report.

Based on a nationwide American survey, researchers from the California-based non-profit Rand Corporation found that about one in eight respondents (12%) reported using psilocybin at some point over their lives.

And around one in 33 (3.1%) reported using the substance within the past 12 months. An estimated eight million American adults used psilocybin in 2023.

Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA have often been touted as holding promise for treating a range of mental health conditions - with enthusiasm about the substances growing over the past decade.

Less than one in 100 of the people surveyed (0.9%) reported using psilocybin during the previous month, compared to 20% of those reporting cannabis use.

Researchers estimate that among all American adults, the total number of use days in the past month for cannabis was around 650 million, whereas the comparable figure for hallucinogens was closer to seven million.

Among those reporting taking psilocybin in the previous year, 47% reported "microdosing" the last time they used it.

Microdosing involves using small amounts of psilocybin or other psychedelics - often a tenth or twentieth of a typical dose.

Although clinical research continues to grow, less attention has focused on the changing policy landscape for some psychedelics.

Lead author Beau Kilmer, a senior policy researcher at Rand, said: “The current situation with psychedelics reminds me of where we were with cannabis policy 12 years ago.

“Now is the time for federal policymakers to decide if they want to shape these policy changes or stay on the sidelines.”

The research team said it became clear when they were writing the report how little had been previously published about the markets and patterns of use for many psychedelics - especially psilocybin.

They cautioned that there is concern that if efforts to expand the non-clinical supply of psychedelics do not go well, it could generate a "backlash" that may have a chilling effect on research and potential therapeutic uses.

Kilmer, co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center, said: “Based on what happened with clinical research on psychedelics after the 1960s, this is not an idle concern."

The Rand report is based on several information sources, including a December 2023 survey of 3,791 American adults who were asked about their use of drugs, including psychedelics.

The survey included several questions specific to psilocybin use and how it was obtained.

The research team also interviewed legal experts, policy advocates, regulators, mental health providers, and people working in the emerging psychedelics industry.

The work also included discussions with members of Indigenous communities about their spiritual medicines.

Report co-author Michelle Priest, an assistant policy researcher at Rand, said: “Policy changes may affect Indigenous people who have longstanding traditions with certain spiritual medicines that are commonly referred to as psychedelics.

“Engaging respectfully with Indigenous community members who are authorized to speak on these topics can help craft policies that benefit from generations of wisdom while protecting Indigenous rights.”

Despite the federal prohibition on supply and possession outside approved clinical research and some religious exemptions, some state and local governments in the US are loosening their approaches to psychedelics - including approaches that legalize some forms of supply to adults for any reason.

The researchers noted a difference from cannabis policy debates is the role of supervision in policy discussions surrounding psychedelics.

Even in places that do not adopt the supervision model being implemented in Oregon and Colorado, policymakers will likely confront many decisions surrounding the regulation of facilitators and supervision settings.

The Rand report found that unlike people who use cannabis and many other drugs, those who use psychedelics typically do so infrequently.

Analysis of the findings highlighted the extent to which infrequent users drive the market for psychedelics. For cannabis, the market for infrequent users is negligible, accounting for about five percent of the total use days in the past month. For psychedelics, that figure is closer to 60%.

Report co-author Rajeev Ramchand said: “While price is a major policy lever when we think about regulating cannabis and alcohol, it will likely play a much smaller role for psychedelics since infrequent users currently drive the market and they tend to spend relatively little on these substances.”