Fisher Phillips You may think of “magic mushrooms” as nothing but a novelty, but psychedelics like psilocybin are gaining popularity as a therapeutic mental health treatment – raising questions about their impact on the workplace. Are your employees partaking in such treatments? Are they microdosing at work? Can you cover off-duty treatments as a mental health benefit? Or even allow your employees to microdose to spark their creative side? On the flipside, can you ban the use of psychedelics altogether? These topics are more likely to reach your desk now that some researchers, Silicon Valley executives, and even celebrities like NFL star Aaron Rogers have publicly endorsed such therapies. Moreover, states and cities are starting to decriminalize or legalize the use of psychedelics in certain circumstances. But psilocybin and most other psychedelics are still illegal under federal law, which creates complex compliance issues as you navigate this new trend. Here’s what you need to know about psilocybin and other psychedelics, their legal status, and their potential impact on your workplace policies.
1. Support Is Growing
The results from a 2023 UC Berkeley study illustrate why employers should start paying attention to this topic: 61% of registered voters who responded to the survey support legalizing regulated therapeutic access to psychedelics.
78% support making it easier for researchers to study psychedelic substances.
49% support removing criminal penalties for personal use and possession.
But what conditions are psychedelics used to treat? According to Duke University , researchers are exploring their ability to alleviate opioid addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more conditions.
In addition to psilocybin, psychedelic-assisted treatments may include the use of MDMA, LSD, DMT, ketamine, or ayahuasca.
“When people use psychedelics, several processes are believed to be at play in the brain,” said Dan Vahaba, PhD, Director of Communications at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. “The substances can change how certain mood-related chemicals including serotonin receptors work, potentially reduce inflammation, and increase communication between specific emotional and sensory processing networks.”
While the research is still developing, changing attitudes and heightened interest in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics are putting these […]
Research continues on magic mushroom use
Magic mushrooms in jars. Studies suggest psilocybin, the fungi-found psychedelic
