National
Policy Landscape and Trends
Federally, nearly all substances conventionally referred to as “psychedelics” are illegal to possess or prescribe, except for ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic commonly used in surgery, and, more recently, commercially available for mental health treatment.
Two states, Oregon and Colorado, have enacted regulations on psilocybin. Several cities have deprioritized law enforcement of botanical psychedelics.
Despite illegality, extensive national surveys confirm a general rise in psychedelic use, with variations among age and demographic groups.
Hallucinogen Use
According to the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a federal survey of more than 100,000 Americans, 3.3% of people over the age of 12 used hallucinogens in the last year (Table A.5B). That’s a slight increase (0.1%) from 2022 and a 0.4% increase from 2021. Past-year use decreased among young adults (18-25) from 7.7% to 6.7% in the last year.
Monitoring the Future, a large-scale survey by The University of Michigan, also collects longitudinal drug-use data. The survey data on hallucinogen use is represented in the accompanying graph below.
Percent of US Population Over 12 y.o. Reporting Hallucinogen Use In Past Year
Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Proportion of Psilocybin Use by Year
MDMA Use
Monitoring the Future further breaks down use by drug type, separating MDMA from other types of hallucinogens. MDMA use, according to this survey, peaked in 2020. While there is not an explanation for the trend in the survey, another study suggested that decreased opportunities for socialization during the pandemic reduced MDMA use since it is frequently used in social settings.
Source: Monitoring the Future
Methodological note: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, which publishes the NSDUH, changed its survey questions slightly in the 2023 iteration. Previously, the agency asked if respondents had ever used psilocybin, which increased from 8% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.