Loosening local, state and federal regulations on cannabis and psychedelics has increased Americans’ interest in microdosing, according to a study from researchers at the University of California San Diego. Published in JAMA Health Forum , the study found that the rate of microdosing-related Google searches grew by 1250% from 2015 to 2023, with over three million searches in 2023 alone. This surge in interest correlates with recent legislative changes decriminalizing or authorizing the use of psychedelic substances in therapy and permitting recreational cannabis use. The research fills a gap in understanding how policy changes affect substance use patterns.
Microdosing involves taking “sub-perceptual” doses of psychedelics, often over prolonged periods, with users claiming it improves cognition, mood and overall health without causing the intense hallucinogenic effects of higher doses. Despite the lack of clinical evidence supporting these health claims, interest in the practice appears to have grown over the past decade. Current survey data on microdosing are inadequate, prompting the study’s authors to analyze Google search behaviors as a proxy for public interest and to understand how policy reforms have influenced this interest.
The study period coincided with significant policy reforms on substance use. In 2012, Colorado became the first U.S. state to permit recreational cannabis use, and by 2023, 24 states had followed suit, encompassing half of the U.S. adult population. Additionally, eight states had cities or counties decriminalize psychedelic use, and two states legalized psychedelic-assisted therapy and decriminalized psychedelics statewide.
Using a dynamic event-time difference-in-difference model, the researchers assessed the causal effects of these policy changes. They used the year before a policy enactment as the reference and states that never adopted the policy as controls. Separate analyses for cannabis and psychedelic policies measured microdosing searches per 10 million Google queries, examining annual and monthly changes in search rates across the U.S.
The results showed that policies reducing criminal penalties for psychedelic and cannabis use were associated with increased interest in microdosing, with the largest increases occurring in states with the most permissive policies, such as Oregon and Colorado. By 2023, these policy reforms accounted for over a quarter of the differences […]
UC San Diego Study Links Policy Shifts to 1250% Rise in Microdosing Searches
