As we have reported numerous times, psychedelic mushrooms are becoming increasingly popular in the US. A new study has found the consumption of psilocybin, the main active ingredient in 'shrooms,' is soaring as it moves from the fringes of hippie culture to becoming increasingly mainstream -- even used by middle-class moms.
America's "psychedelic revolution" kicked off during the Covid pandemic when the government locked down the economy, forcing people to stay home with nothing to do. In pre-Covid times, only 5.1% of young people aged 19-30 used psychedelic drugs. But as soon as lockdowns began, the figure jumped to 7.6% by 2020 and 8.1% by 2021. Since 2011, the use of psychedelics by young people has more than doubled, according to a study by the University of Michigan and Columbia University.
"While non-LSD hallucinogen use remains substantially less prevalent than use of substances such as alcohol and cannabis, a doubling of prevalence in just three years is a dramatic increase and raises possible public health concerns," Megan Patrick, a study co-author and co-principal investigator of Monitoring the Future at the University of Michigan, wrote in a statement about the findings.
"It's really difficult to explain these trends," Patrick said, who was quoted by The Hill. She added, "We have some guesses, but we don't really know yet."
Perhaps one guess is people were very bored when the government locked down the economy during the early days of Covid. Many folks were stuck in a sedimentary lifestyle for months as government overlords shunned people from going outside, forcing them to 'Netflix and chill' while others bored out of their minds -- experimented with drugs. The real fun came when the government handed out stimmy checks, and people went crazy without the need to work.
The Hill pointed out, "If the overall upward trend continues, young adults may soon be using psychedelic drugs at the same rate as baby boomers in the hippie era." To achieve that, a Gallup poll from the early 1970s shows 18% of college students tried LSD or other hallucinogens.
We have pointed out numerous studies of those who used psilocybin were able to curb drinking and other drug addictions. These studies add to an increasing amount of research showing that psychedelics paired with therapy could treat mental health issues.
Last month, a bill to decriminalize magic mushrooms cleared the California Senate. Senator Scott Wiener said SB 519 isn't "guaranteed to pass in the Assembly," but "we're going to try the very best we can."
The shift from fringe hippies decades ago to middle-class moms and white-collar workers micro-doing magic mushrooms shows how the drug culture is being normalized. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea, and something new, since the 'war on drugs' has been such a disaster. However, the open air drug market California has allowed in major metros has backfired.
