The relationships of classic psychedelic use with criminal behavior in the United States adult population
Peter S. Hendricks, Michael Crawford, Karen L. Cropsey, Heith Copes, Noah W Sweat, Zach Walsh, Gregory Pavela
Journal of Psychopharmacology October 17, 2017 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117735685 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractLifetime use of classic psychedelics, including psilocybin, is associated with lower odds of recent larceny/theft, assault, and arrests for property or violent crimes among over 480,000 U.S. adults surveyed from 2002 to 2014. In contrast, illicit use of other drugs generally increased the odds of these criminal behaviors. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was linked to higher odds of drug distribution, similar to other substances. The findings suggest a potential protective effect of psilocybin against antisocial criminal behavior and support further clinical research in forensic settings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 480,000 |
| Population | United States adult respondents from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002–2014) |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psychiatry Hallucinogen Criminal behavior Population |
| Citations | 91 |
| Key finding | Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with reduced odds of past year larceny/theft, assault, and arrests for property and violent crimes, while psilocybin showed a consistent protective effect for antisocial criminal behavior. |
Abstract
Criminal behavior exacts a large toll on society and is resistant to intervention. Some evidence suggests classic psychedelics may inhibit criminal behavior, but the extent of these effects has not been comprehensively explored. In this study, we tested the relationships of classic psychedelic use and psilocybin use per se with criminal behavior among over 480,000 United States adult respondents pooled from the last 13 available years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002 through 2014) while controlling for numerous covariates. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a reduced odds of past year larceny/theft (aOR = 0.73 (0.65–0.83)), past year assault (aOR = 0.88 (0.80–0.97)), past year arrest for a property crime (aOR = 0.78 (0.65–0.95)), and past year arrest for a violent crime (aOR = 0.82 (0.70–0.97)). In contrast, lifetime illicit use of other drugs was, by and large, associated with an increased odds of these outcomes. Lifetime classic psychedelic use, like lifetime illicit use of almost all other substances, was associated with an increased odds of past year drug distribution. Results were consistent with a protective effect of psilocybin for antisocial criminal behavior. These findings contribute to a compelling rationale for the initiation of clinical research with classic psychedelics, including psilocybin, in forensic settings.