Minorities' Diminished Psychedelic Returns: Income and Educations Impact on Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.
Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities June 1, 2025 Sean Matthew Viña 19 citations
Among Black and Hispanic people, using psychedelics is not linked to lower psychological distress after accounting for socioeconomic status, whereas white users still show lower distress. For Asian individuals with higher education and income, some psychedelic use is actually associated with increased distress. These findings support the minority diminished psychedelic returns theory, which holds that racism and socioeconomic inequality reduce the mental-health benefits of psychedelics for racial and ethnic minorities. The analysis used data from over 458,000 adults in a national survey and examined several psychedelics including MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca, peyote/mescaline, and LSD.