Study Finds Significant Rise in Use of Non-LSD Hallucinogens Among Young American Adults

Psychedelic mushrooms sit in a fridge in London, England, on July 18, 2005. Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

The number of young adults using non-LSD hallucinogens across the United States rose dramatically between 2018 to 2021, according to a new study by the University of Michigan and Columbia University.

Researchers in the study measured hallucinogen use among young adults aged between 19 to 30 years over a three-year period, interviewing 11,304 respondents on their use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), as well as other hallucinogens as part of the Monitoring the Future study.

That ongoing study began in 1975 and is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, the use of LSD remained “relatively unchanged,” rising from 3.7 percent in 2018 to 4.2 percent in 2021.

However, there was a notable increase in non-LSD hallucinogens such as psilocybin—also known as magic mushrooms—or phencyclidine or phenylcyclohexyl piperidine (PCP), which rose from 3.4 percent in 2018 to 6.6 percent in 2021.

Researchers found that the odds of non-LSD use over time were higher for males (odds ratio, 1.86). Additionally, their use was lower among black respondents than white participants (odds ratio, 0.29) and those without a college-educated parent (odds ratio, 0.80).

For LSD use, demographic-based differences were similar, they said.

Public Health Concerns

According to the researchers, the most commonly used non-LSD hallucinogens were magic mushrooms found in Mexico, Central America, and the United States, and ingested orally.

Also known as psilocybin, the drug is a “Schedule I” substance under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Ingesting magic mushrooms causes hallucinations, and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. They can also cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and lack of coordination.

“While non-LSD hallucinogen use remains substantially less prevalent than use of substances such as alcohol and cannabis, a doubling of prevalence in just three years is a dramatic increase and raises possible public health concerns,” said study co-author Megan Patrick—research professor in the Survey Research Center at U-M’s Institute for Social Research and co-principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future study—in a press release.

The results of the study were published in the journal of the Society for the Study of Addiction on June 7, and Patrick noted that the findings are a “rising concern for young adult health.”

‘Lack of Understanding’ About Risks

It is unclear if the respondents took the drugs recreationally or because they believed it would provide a therapeutic or medical benefit.

However, Katherine Keyes, professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School and lead author of the study, said that approved therapeutic use of psychedelics “under a trained health professional’s care remains uncommon in the U.S.,” meaning that the findings of the study are likely down to nonmedical and nontherapeutic use.

“The use of psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs for a range of therapeutic uses is increasing, given accumulating, yet still preliminary, data from randomized trials on clinical effectiveness,” said Keyes. “With increased visibility for medical and therapeutic use, however, potentially comes diversion and unregulated product availability, as well as a lack of understanding among the public of potential risks.”

Researchers said they plan to continue tracking trends on non-LSD hallucinogens to see if the increases continue. They will focus on the motives behind the drug use and how they are being used to “mitigate the associated negative consequences.”

The findings come shortly after Oregon became the first state to legalize adult use of psilocybin after researchers pointed to possible benefits in treating severe depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions.

The move allows the Oregon Health Authority to license and regulate the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of psilocybin products and to oversee psilocybin services under the supervision of trained personnel at licensed locations. However, the drug’s use, which is limited to individuals over the age of 21, does not extend to recreational use and will not be sold via dispensaries.