Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
Use of magic mushrooms, or psilocybin, in the U.S. has risen sharply in recent years, a new study found, making the substance more popular among adults than drugs like cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, and illegal opioids.
However, it seems like not everyone is having a good trip.
An increase across all age groups. According to the study, which was led by researchers at the University of Colorado and Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, use of magic mushrooms has increased across all age groups in the U.S. since 2019. The year is significant, Karilynn Rockhill, one of the co-lead authors, said.
“This seems to line up with when some U.S. states began to decriminalize or legalize it,” Rockhill said in a statement.
The study was published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Spotlight: young adults and adults over 30. Although lifetime use—or whether a person has ever used a drug in their lifetime—increased among adults from 25 million people in 2019 to more than 31 million people in 2023, the biggest jump happened among young adults (18-29 years old) and adults over 30.
When it comes to young adults, 44% said that they had used magic mushrooms within the last year. The number rose to 188% for adults over 30. The study also found that people with mental health conditions or chronic pain were more likely to report that they had used magic mushrooms.
While the authors did not examine why people choose to use the substance, previous research has found that they’re mainly used for recreation.
“We know a majority of use is still for recreational purposes, not medical purposes, even when people do have mental health conditions,” Dr. Andrew Monte, one of the study’s co-authors, told CNN. “That’s worrisome due to the potential negative reactions when not used as directed by a doctor.”
What are magic mushrooms? Though colloquially known as magic mushrooms, the substances that are important here are psilocybin and psilocin. These are hallucinogens similar to LSD that can cause people to see, hear, and feel things that are not there or produce an altered state of consciousness.
The use of magic mushrooms can also produce negative effects, including anxiety, fear, nausea, muscle twitches, and increase heart rate and blood pressure.
Importantly, the effects produced by magic mushrooms can vary from person to person. There are also differences in the potency, as one mushroom can have different concentrations of active ingredients compared to another. There are more than 200 species of magic mushrooms.
Increase in calls to poison control. There’s already evidence that the use of magic mushrooms is taking a toll on Americans. According to the study, calls to poison control centers related to psilocybin use rose dramatically among adults (201%), teens (317%), and children (723%) between 2019 and 2023.
Overall, it’s not just about having a good trip. Monte, one of the study’s co-authors, points out that use of magic mushrooms can cause people to become agitated or hurt themselves because of the hallucinations. They can also interact with antidepressants and increase the risk of adverse cardiac events in people with cardiovascular disease, CNN reported.
“My major take-home messages is that people need to plan before they trip,” Monte said. “You need a safe place and have somebody with you in case you have a bad reaction, which absolutely happens.”
Image | Christopher Ott
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