Is psychedelic use associated with cancer?: Interrogating a half-century-old claim using contemporary population-level data
Journal of Psychopharmacology August 16, 2022 Brian S. Barnett, Kathleen M Ziegler, Rick Doblin et al. 15 citations
An analysis of nationally representative survey data from 2015-2019 found no association between lifetime use of psychedelics and lifetime diagnosis of any cancer or hematologic cancer. Sub-analyses of specific classes of psychedelics—lysergamides, phenethylamines, and tryptamines—also showed no link to cancer diagnoses. These findings contrast with earlier laboratory studies and case reports from the 1960s and 1970s that raised concerns about psychedelics' carcinogenic potential. Limitations include lack of data on dosage, number of lifetime exposures, and timing of use relative to cancer diagnosis.