Research Uncovers Significant Increase in Seizures of Psychedelic Mushrooms

A recent study (link is external) supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institutes of Health, found that between January 2017 and December 2022, law enforcement seizures of “magic mushrooms” or “shrooms” containing the psychoactive ingredient psilocybin increased dramatically in the United States. From 402 seizures in 2017 to 1,396 seizures in 2022, there was an increase in law enforcement seizures. Furthermore, the total weight of psilocybin mushrooms that were taken into custody by the police grew from 226 kg (498 lbs) in 2017 to 844 kg (1,861 lbs) in 2022.  

Most seizures, according to the researchers, happened in the Midwest (36.0%) and the West (33.5%). The West (1,864 kg/4,109 lbs, or 42.6% of all seizures) had the most significant overall weight of seizures, followed by the South (1,832 kg/4,039 lbs, or 41.8%). The investigators discovered that while the total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized increased significantly between 2017 and 2022, it peaked in 2021 (1,542 kg/3,400 lbs).  

Researchers from the University of Florida in Gainesville and NYU Langone Health in New York City led this analysis, which was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s grant program, High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (link is external), was utilized to gather the data for the analysis. The program’s goal is to reduce drug trafficking and misuse. Law enforcement seizures are a sign of the availability of illegal substances, even though they do not always indicate the frequency of usage.  

Psilocybin mushrooms are part of a larger class of chemicals called dissociative and psychedelic drugs, which can momentarily change a person’s emotions, perceptions, and ideas. The research that is now available indicates that the use of substances like psilocybin, which creates hallucinations, has increased among adults aged 35-50 in recent years despite the lack of self-reported statistics on the prevalence of their use. Furthermore, data indicates that psilocybin is the most often used plant-based psychedelic substance in the U.S., with 11.3% of Americans 12 years of age and older reporting having used the drug at some point in 2022(link is external).  

Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director of NIDA, stated, “We need data to help shape informed and appropriate public health strategies. The cultural, media, and legal landscape around psychedelics is evolving rapidly.” “Going forward, data on psychedelic availability, use patterns, and related health effects must be tracked in order to direct efforts toward accurate education promotion and lowering potential risks among individuals who do intend to use psychedelic drugs.”  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet licensed psilocybin for the treatment of any illness or condition. The potential of psychedelic and dissociative drugs to cure medical diseases, particularly mental health illnesses, has drawn increasing attention from researchers in recent years. Crucially, research on psychedelics as a medical treatment is conducted within a therapeutic framework that consists of a pre-session with a clinician, a supervised setting where psilocybin is experienced, and follow-up sessions.  

However, most individuals who report using psychedelic and dissociative substances do so for a variety of reasons, such as recreational purposes or the conviction that consuming them will enhance wellbeing or facilitate spiritual or self-exploration outside of medical or research settings. Psilocybin mushroom use has been linked to adverse side effects, including “bad trips,” which are characterized by delusions, altered perceptions, putting oneself in danger, and intense emotions of fear, anxiety, and disorientation.

In addition, short-term adverse effects from psychedelic drugs like psilocybin include increased heart rate and blood pressure, agitation, disorientation, vomiting, and nausea. These effects can be severe and necessitate medical attention. State-by-state, the possession of psilocybin has grown less illegal in the United States in recent years. All these characteristics, according to the authors, may have an impact on the non-medical or recreational use of psilocybin mushrooms in the United States.  

According to Joseph J. Palamar, Ph.D., M.P.H., an associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, co-investigator on the NIDA-funded National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS)(link is external), and lead author of the paper, “while psilocybin is by no means the most dangerous drug, recreational use can come with unforeseen risks such as bad trips.” Some people may seek mushrooms outside of medical settings due to research findings indicating their efficacy in treating mental health conditions and widespread favorable media coverage. It is important to inform anyone who uses psilocybin without a doctor’s supervision about the risks involved.  

The states and areas where seizures are reported do not always correspond to the planned destinations of the confiscated psilocybin mushrooms, as the authors point out. Law enforcement activities may also differ depending on the location, and heightened awareness on the part of law enforcement may lead to a more considerable number of seizures. Although not all drug seizures in the U.S. are included in HIDTA seizures, the researchers did find regional increases in overall drug seizures based on data from the DEA National Forensic Laboratory Information System (link is external). The extent to which psilocybin mushrooms were seized in “wet” or “dry” conditions is also unknown, according to the authors, which can have a substantial impact on the weight reported during each seizure and make it impossible to convert weight measurements into potential dosages.  

These results help shed important light on an area where we’ve been largely in the dark,” stated Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., principal investigator of NDEWS, University of Florida, and author of the paper. “Most national surveys and studies don’t capture self-reported data on psilocybin use specifically.” 

News Reference  

National Institute of Health https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/law-enforcement-seizures-psilocybin-mushrooms-rose-dramatically-between-2017-2022.