According to a survey, there had been a two-fold increase in young individuals utilizing psychedelics in the US in just the past three years.
According to the most recent data, researchers conducted by the University of Michigan discovered that 6.6% of people aged 19 to 30 reported using a hallucinogen other than LSD in the previous year in 2021.
In contrast, less than five years prior, in 2018, only 3.4% acknowledged using the medicines.
The surge, which experts said would be “dramatic,” coincides with research suggesting that psychedelics like magic mushrooms may be useful in the treatment of depression and other mental diseases.
From 2018 to 2021, the use of psychedelic drugs, excluding LSD, has almost doubled, rising from 3.4 percent to 6.6 percent
The study results were revealed this week by the University of Michigan as part of its Monitoring the Future study – tracking the behavior of more than 50,000 young adults in the US.
Dr. Megan Patrick, a substance use expert at the university who was involved in the study, said: ‘While the use of non-LSD hallucinogens is significantly less common than the use of substances such as alcohol and cannabis, a doubling of the prevalence has increased dramatically in just three years and raises potential public health concerns.?
Dr. Katherine Keyes, an epidemiologist at Columbia University who was also involved in the study, added: “The use of psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs for a variety of therapeutic applications is on the rise given the increasing but still preliminary data from randomized clinical effectiveness trials.
“However, with increased visibility for medical and therapeutic use, there may be potential distractions and unregulated product availability, as well as a lack of public understanding of potential risks.”
In the study, published this week in the journal Addictionscientists looked at the results of the 2021 and 2018 survey.
In addition to the overall uptick, researchers also found that young men were more likely to use drugs than young women.
In 2018, 4.3 of young men used these drugs, while 2.6 percent of women used them.
By 2021, there was a rise in both groups, data showed, but a larger rise among men. For men, 8.1 percent said they had used the drugs in the past year compared to 5.2 percent of women.
In addition, white young adults were more likely than black young adults to use them.
The scientists also found that college-educated youths were more likely to use the drugs.
The study couldn’t determine why more young adults were using the drugs or how they were using them.
But there’s been a wealth of research recently on how the drugs can help alleviate mental illness, which may lead some to take the drugs.
Psychedelics such as magic mushrooms are Schedule III drugs in the US and their use, sale and possession are illegal under federal law.
But some parts of the US, including Oakland and Santa Cruz in California, have decriminalized use of the drug.
According to Harvard Universitypossible adverse effects are dizziness, drowsiness, extreme dissociation from reality, panic attacks and nausea.
We will continue to monitor these trends to see if the increases continue. We need additional research, including into the motives for hallucinogen use and how young adults use these substances, to mitigate the associated negative consequences,” said Dr Patrick.
Shroom bloom: Psychedelic drug use among American under-30s doubles in just three years