More than 5.5 million American adults use hallucinogens

More than 5.5 million American adults aged 18 years and older, including more than 3 million aged 26 years and older, use hallucinogens, researchers estimated in Addiction.

“While new findings suggesting benefits from use of certain hallucinogens among a range of cognitive areas are being published at a rapid rate, there are still gaps in knowledge concerning safe hallucinogen use, and evidence for potential adverse effects even with professionally supervised use that warrant attention,” Ofir Livne, MD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, said in a release from Columbia University.

Livne and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2002 to 2019. Outcome variables included any hallucinogen use and the use of LSD, ecstasy and PCP in the past year.

According to Livne and colleagues, overall hallucinogen use increased between 2015 and 2019 (prevalence difference [PD], +0.44). Since 2002, hallucinogen use increased in adults aged 26 years and older (PD, 2002-2014, +0.24; 2015-19, +0.45) and decreased in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (PD, 2002-2014, –1.60; PD, 2015-19, –0.73).

Ecstasy use decreased in adolescents (PD, 2002-2014, –0.56), adults aged 18 to 25 years (PD, 2015-2019, –0.96) and in adults aged 26 years and older (PD, 2015-2019, –0.13).

LSD use between 2002 and 2019 increased overall (PD, +0.71) and in all age groups (aged 12to 17 years: PD, +0.67; 18 to 25 years: PD, +3.12; and 26 years and older: PD, +0.36). However, PCP use between 2002 and 2019 decreased overall (PD, –0.06) in adolescents (PD, –0.24) and young adults (PD, –0.32).

“Our finding of an upward trend in 12-month LSD use, overall and by age, matches our finding of a downward trend in perception of LSD as risky,” Deborah Hasin, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia and study co-author, said in the release. “Factors such as changes in risk perception, in the specific types of drugs available and in expectations of beneficial effects of ‘microdosing’ may all have led to increased use of certain hallucinogens in recent years.”

Reference:

New study estimates over 5.5 million U.S. adults use hallucinogens. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/new-study-estimates-over-55-million-us-adults-use-hallucinogens. Published Aug. 18, 2022; Accessed Aug. 18, 2022.