Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock
60 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy or psilocybin is linked to lower odds of suicidal thinking and psychological distress, while LSD use is linked to higher odds of suicidal thinking. Among 484,732 U.S. adults surveyed from 2008 to 2019, MDMA/ecstasy use was associated with 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking and 12% lower odds of suicidal planning. Psilocybin use was associated with 22% lower odds of past-month psychological distress and 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking. LSD use was associated with 7% higher odds of past-year suicidal thinking. These non-causal associations suggest potential therapeutic value but require experimental confirmation.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock
40 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy was associated with 16% lower odds of a major depressive episode (MDE) over a person's lifetime, the past year, and severe past-year MDE. Psilocybin use was linked to 10% lower odds of a past-year MDE and 13% lower odds of a severe past-year MDE. Other illegal or misused substances either showed no association with MDE or were linked to increased odds. The findings come from a large US sample and suggest a potential protective relationship, but experimental studies are needed to test causality.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock
30 citations
Lifetime use of psilocybin was linked to lower odds of arrest for seven of eleven crime categories, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.30 to 0.73. Peyote use was associated with reduced odds of motor vehicle theft (aOR = 0.30) and driving under the influence (aOR = 0.52), while mescaline use was associated with reduced odds of drug possession or sale (aOR = 0.51). Most other substances showed no relationship or were linked to higher odds of arrest. The findings suggest classic psychedelic substances may be associated with lowered criminal behavior, but further research is needed to explore causal or third-variable explanations.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 31, 2022
Grant M Jones
28 citations
Race and ethnicity influence how naturalistic use of MDMA/ecstasy and psilocybin relates to major depressive episodes. Among White adults, use of either substance was linked to lower odds of lifetime, past year, and past year severe major depressive episodes. For Hispanic adults, use of either substance was associated with lower odds only for a past year major depressive episode. For non-Hispanic racial minority adults, neither MDMA/ecstasy nor psilocybin use was associated with lower odds of any depressive outcome. The findings suggest that the potential mental health benefits of these psychedelics may not be uniform across racial and ethnic groups.
Drug and alcohol dependence
January 1, 2025
James M Zech, David B Yaden, Grant M Jones
9 citations
Lifetime psilocybin use and past-year LSD use are associated with higher rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among U.S. adults. Analyzing nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019, 2021–2022), the study found that people reporting use of these psychedelics had roughly double the risk of meeting DSM-5 criteria for CUD, including moderate-to-severe forms, after accounting for sociodemographic factors. Past-year LSD use also predicted three of eleven specific CUD symptoms among cannabis users. The findings indicate that naturalistic use of certain psychedelics may signal greater risk of maladaptive cannabis use, rather than supporting therapeutic benefits.