Seizures of psychedelic mushrooms are increasing in the US as demand grows
Seizures of psychedelic mushrooms nationwide by law enforcement have increased significantly in recent years as attitudes toward their use have become more tolerant, according to a police survey. government-funded study released on Tuesday.
Researchers found that law enforcement seized 844 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms in 2022, a 273 percent increase from 2017. Psilocybin is the psychoactive component in the fungi commonly known as magic mushrooms.
Officials at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which commissioned the study, said the increase in magic mushroom seizures was a reflection of increasing use of the drugs, and not an indication that drug enforcement officials were pursuing the drugs more aggressively than before.
The market for magic mushrooms, which are illegal under federal law, has grown dramatically in recent years as several clinical trials have shown that they can be effective as therapies for treating depression and other serious conditions. But many medical professionals say they worry that the hype surrounding psychedelics has developed faster than the science.
Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the NIDA, said preliminary clinical trials had shown that psychedelics could one day become an important tool for treating psychiatric disorders, including addiction to other drugs. But she said she was concerned that many people were self-medicating with psychedelics.
“Psychedelic drugs have been promoted as a potential cure for many health problems without adequate research to support these claims,” said Dr. Volkow. “There are people who are very desperate for mental health care, and there are companies who are very eager to make money by marketing substances as treatments or medicines.”
In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration cleared psilocybin a special designation to accelerate research into its effectiveness as a treatment for depression, which could lead to approval for clinical use.
The promising clinical trials have sparked a movement in some states and cities to legalize psychedelics. In 2020, Oregon voters approved a measure legalizing the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms, and Colorado voters supported a similar measure two years later. Several cities have given psychedelics a low priority among law enforcement, often citing their therapeutic potential.
The changing legal landscape, along with media coverage of clinical trials, has fueled demand for psychedelic treatments, experts say.
“Any positive news about psychedelics could introduce the idea of using them to a new population that has never really thought about using them,” said Joseph J. Palamara professor of public health at New York University, the lead researcher on the study into the increasing attacks from magic mushrooms.
Dr. Joshua S. Siegela psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis, said patients with serious mental health problems were increasingly seeking advice from doctors about the value of drugs like magic mushrooms.
While psychedelics are safer than other drugs in terms of their potential addiction And lethalityDr. Siegel said they can also be destabilizing, especially for people with serious mental illnesses.
“People can completely or partially lose touch with reality and behave in irrational and potentially dangerous ways,” he said.
As the country grapples with an epidemic of opioid overdoses, experts say psychedelics have become a relatively low priority for federal law enforcement. The latest from the Biden administration report on its anti-drug strategy, released in 2022, contains only one reference to psychedelics. There are numerous mentions of opioids.
Companies selling psychedelics target people struggling with depression and anxiety, selling products through websites and encrypted messaging platforms. Several advertise on social media, promoting products such as small doses of mushrooms in pill form as an alternative to antidepressants.