In recent years, more Americans are using psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in psychedelic or “magic mushrooms,” according to a new study. While the compound is being studied as a potential treatment for PTSD, depression and substance abuse disorders, the researchers behind the study said they found a worrisome link between increased psilocybin use and calls to poison control centers nationwide.
Who’s using psilocybin?
Researchers with the University of Colorado and Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety said since 2019, psilocybin use has significantly increased across all age groups.
Between 2022 and 2023, 44% more young adults (ages 18-29) said they had used the psychedelic, while there was a 188% increase in use among those 30 and older.
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About 31 million Americans said they had at least tried psilocybin, up from 25 million in 2019. The study’s authors also said that while they have not fully computed 2024’s numbers, they are seeing a continued rise so far.
The study found people suffering from mental health issues or chronic pain were the most likely to use psilocybin. It also found more adults used the hallucinogen in 2023 than other drugs like cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine or illegal opioids.
More calls to poison control
An increase in use of any kind of drug typically goes hand in hand with an increase in calls to poison control centers related to them. The study’s authors found that to be true for psilocybin as well.
They say between 2019 and 2023, calls related to the hallucinogenic compound more than quadrupled among adults. During the same time period they went up more than 300% among teens and more than 700% in children.
Why the increase?
While researchers can’t say for sure what’s behind the increase in psilocybin use, they do say a shifting public attitude toward the drug likely plays a major role.
“New laws or growing interest in its potential mental health benefits may be prompting people to seek psilocybin as a form of self-treatment,” Dr. Karilynn Rockhill, one of the study’s co-lead authors, said.
“Public views on psilocybin are shifting,” co-lead author Dr. Joshua Black added. “However, that means we also need to make sure people understand the risks, know how to use it safely if they choose to and that healthcare systems are prepared.”
While psilocybin use is not legal in the United States under federal law, several areas have decriminalized its use.
Cities like Seattle, Detroit, Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C., have decriminalized psilocybin.
Oregon has legalized its use as a mental health treatment in supervised settings.
Colorado passed a law in 2022 allowing adults 21 and older to grow, use and share psychedelic mushrooms for recreational purposes, although it is not allowed to be sold commercially like cannabis. The law also allows for the use of psychedelics in mental health treatments.
