Psychedelic Microdosing among Young Adults from Southern California

Among 2,396 young adults aged 18-22 in Southern California surveyed in 2018-2019, 12% had heard of microdosing psychedelics and 3% had ever tried it. Of those aware of microdosing, 79% correctly defined it as taking a much lower than standard dose, but 15% mistakenly thought it meant a standard dose. Psilocybin was the most commonly microdosed drug (70%), followed by LSD (57%). About 18% of those who microdosed reported using doses far higher than a typical microdose. Factors associated with having ever microdosed included white race, male/masculine gender identity, bisexual identity, past 6-month other drug use, greater ADHD symptoms, mindfulness, and sensation-seeking. The findings suggest microdosing merits attention to prevent misperceptions and potential harms while exploring therapeutic uses.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Despite common depictions in the media, there is little scientific evidence on microdosing psychedelic drugs. We assessed awareness, prevalence, and dosing practices of microdosing psychedelic drugs among young adults 18-22 years old from Southern California (2018-2019). We examined whether sociodemographic factors, personality traits, mental health, or other substance use behaviors were correlated with having ever microdosed. Among 2,396 participants, 293 (12%) had heard of microdosing and 74 (3%) ever microdosed. Among those who had heard of microdosing, 79% correctly defined microdosing as taking an amount of a psychedelic much lower than a standard dose, whereas 15% misperceived microdosing as a standard psychedelic dose. Psilocybin was the most common drug ever microdosed (70%), followed by lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, 57%). Among those who ever microdosed, ~18% reported using psychoactive doses far higher than would be generally considered a microdose. White race, male/masculine gender identity, bisexual identity, past 6-month other drug use, greater attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, mindfulness, and sensation-seeking were positively associated with having ever microdosed in multivariable models. Young adult microdosing merits further attention from scientific and public health professionals to help prevent misperceptions and potential adverse consequences as well as explore its potential therapeutic applications.