Consumption of “magic” mushrooms and other hallucinogens by young adults nearly doubled over the past three years, a new study has found, illustrating the accelerating pace of America’s “psychedelic revolution” and growing societal acceptance of mind-altering drugs.
Researchers found that 6.6 percent of adults from ages 19 to 30 used hallucinogens other than LSD, a category dominated by psilocybin, in 2021, up from 3.4 percent in 2018. LSD use by young adults rose from 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent in the same period, according to an article published this month in the journal Addiction.
Roughly 8 percent of young adults used some kind of hallucinogen in 2021, the highest share recorded since at least the 1980s.
Public health officials face a growing societal disconnect over the risks and rewards of recreational drugs. Both marijuana and hallucinogens registered historic highs in young-adult use in 2021, according to federal data.
Broad legalization of recreational cannabis has swept away much of the cultural stigma attached to its use. Meanwhile, science is exploring potential therapeutic benefits from psilocybin and other psychedelics. Middle-class moms are microdosing magic mushrooms, embracing the potential of psychedelics to tamp down depression or addiction or post-traumatic stress.
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