A systematic review and narrative summary of the therapeutic potential of classic serotonergic psychedelics for smoking cessation and reduction
Journal of Psychopharmacology July 11, 2025 Diana Glenn, Seung Hee Choi, Rick S. Zimmerman 1 citation
Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca show preliminary therapeutic potential for helping people quit or reduce smoking, but the evidence is limited. A systematic review of eight studies found that all had a serious risk of bias and weak study designs, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Psilocybin was the most studied compound, appearing in seven studies, followed by LSD in five, mescaline in four, ayahuasca in four, peyote in two, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine in one. The findings are promising but not yet generalizable, and stronger experimental or quasi-experimental studies with better sampling and comparison groups are needed.