Credit: Marek Piwnicki from Pexels Psilocybin mushrooms are the psychedelic substance most often used in the U.S., with its popularity outpacing other psychedelic drugs such as MDMA (known as ecstasy), according to a new RAND report.
Based on a new national survey , researchers found that about 12% of respondents reported using psilocybin at some point within their lives and 3.1% reported using the substance over the past year. An estimated 8 million American adults used psilocybin in 2023.
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA have long been touted as holding promise for treating various mental health conditions, with enthusiasm for the substances growing during the past decade. Although clinical research continues to grow, less attention has focused on the changing policy landscape for some psychedelics.
The report, which looks broadly at emerging issues involving the use and supply of psychedelics for nonclinical purposes, suggests that as state and local officials ease regulations on the substances, federal policymakers must decide whether they want psychedelics to follow in the footsteps of the for-profit cannabis model or take another path.
"The current situation with psychedelics reminds me of where we were with cannabis policy 12 years ago," said Beau Kilmer, lead author of the report and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Now is the time for federal policymakers to decide if they want to shape these policy changes or stay on the sidelines."
Researchers caution 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.
"Based on what happened with clinical research on psychedelics after the 1960s, this is not an idle concern," said Kilmer, codirector of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.
The RAND report is based on several sources of information, including a December 2023 survey of a representative sample of 3,791 American adults who were asked about their use of a variety of substances, including psychedelics. The survey included several questions specific to psilocybin use and how it was obtained. The researchers also […]
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