JAMA health forum
June 7, 2024
Kevin H Yang, Nora Satybaldiyeva, Matthew R Allen et al.
16 citations
Public interest in psychedelic microdosing in the US surged 13.4-fold from 2015 to 2023, reaching 3.0 million Google searches in 2023. State-level cannabis and psychedelic legislative reforms were associated with increased search rates: local psychedelic decriminalization with an increase of 22.4 per 10 million searches, statewide psychedelic therapeutic legalization and decriminalization with 28.9 per 10 million, recreational cannabis laws with 40.9 per 10 million, and medical cannabis laws with 11.5 per 10 million. From August to December 2023, 27% of the variation in monthly search rates between states was explained by differences in cannabis and psychedelics legal status.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
June 10, 2024
Eric C. Leas, Nora Satybaldiyeva, Wayne Kepner et al.
10 citations
Use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms among U.S. adults rose from 11.4% in 2021 to 12.3% in 2022, making them the most commonly used hallucinogenic substance. This growing interest has spurred a commercial market for other mushrooms, including Amanita muscaria, which contains the psychoactive compounds muscimol and ibotenic acid.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 3, 2025
Wayne Kepner, Patricia Dionicio, Katie Bailey et al.
3 citations
About 1 in 20 Asian American and Pacific Islander adults (5.1%) have used ecstasy/MDMA in their lifetime, based on a nationally representative sample from 2015-2020. Females had higher odds of use than males, and adults aged 26-34 had higher odds than those aged 18-25, while those aged 50 or older had lower odds. Lifetime use of other substances—cannabis, ketamine, LSD, cocaine, psilocybin, prescription opioids, and prescription stimulants—was associated with increased odds of ecstasy/MDMA use. Variations by age, sex, family income, substance type, and mental health service use point to the need for targeted public health strategies.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 18, 2026
Kevin H. Yang, Miranda Rasmussen, Kush Bhatt et al.
1 citation
Lifetime use of hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, or PCP) is associated with a modest increase in the odds of valvular heart disease after accounting for sociodemographic factors and other health conditions. In a large US adult sample, 13.2% reported lifetime hallucinogen use. The unadjusted prevalence of VHD was lower among users (3.6%) than non-users (4.7%), but after adjustment the odds rose slightly (adjusted odds ratio 1.08). The authors call for longitudinal studies to confirm this exploratory finding.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
May 4, 2026
Kevin H. Yang, Nora Satybaldiyeva, Wayne Kepner et al.
1 citation
Cannabis is the most commonly microdosed substance among U.S. adults, with 9.4% (24.1 million) reporting lifetime use, followed by psilocybin (5.3%, 13.7 million), LSD (4.8%, 12.4 million), and MDMA (2.2%, 5.7 million). Cannabis is primarily microdosed for medical reasons such as pain management, whereas psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA are more often used recreationally. Lifetime microdosing is more prevalent among people with poorer mental health and those living in jurisdictions with fewer restrictions on cannabis and psychedelics. As policies continue to evolve, the prevalence of microdosing may increase, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance.