Medical researchers are increasingly studying the therapeutic value of psylocobins and other psychedelics. While research shows promise, a JAMA Psychiatry published today shows that nonclinical use of psylocibin among adults 19–50 years old in the U.S. grew dramatically between 2014 and 2024.
More than 7 million Americans in that age group reported using psilocybin in the previous 12 months. Meanwhile, psychedelic use grew sixfold among U.S. adults 35–50 years old from 2014 to 2024.
Here are the other key takeaways that psychiatrists and other physicians need to know, as reported in the JAMA Psychiatry study, “Psilocybin Outside the Clinic: Public Health Challenges of Increasing Publicity, Accessibility, and Use.”
Question: What are the public health implications of increased access to and use of unregulated psilocybin-containing mushrooms in the United States?
Findings: This review synthesizes emerging data on psilocybin use trends, product variability, co-use with other substances, and adverse event reports. It highlights parallels with the cannabis legalization trajectory, showing that potency, product diversity, and unsupervised use are increasing while regulation and public education lag behind.
Meaning: Public health efforts must pivot from clinical trials to real-world psilocybin use, prioritizing harm reduction, product testing, and age-specific safety research.
AMA members can explore a range of peer-reviewed research and clinical information published by the JAMA Network™, which brings JAMA® together with JAMA Network Open and 11 specialty journals. Published continuously since 1883, JAMA is one of the most widely circulated, peer-reviewed, general medical journals in the world. If you are an AMA member or interested in becoming one, learn how to access these educational materials and innovative tools.
Also new this week in the JAMA Network
“Increased Avoidance Learning in Chronic Opioid Users,” published in JAMA Psychiatry. The findings of this study confirm that negative reinforcement is a core mechanism in opioid addiction, which is well established in preclinical research but less represented in treatment. Importantly, it is not limited to the later stages of addiction but is even observed after regular opioid use, potentially contributing to the development of addiction, which may have important implications for the development of more effective preventive and therapeutic interventions.
“Informal Human Milk Sharing Among US Mothers,” published in JAMA Network Open. In this large, diverse sample of first-time mothers in the U.S., one in 27 participants reported feeding their infants shared human milk. Prior work indicates that families engage in many, but not all, recommended milk-sharing risk-mitigation measures and fear disclosing their milk sharing to physicians or other health professionals.
Given the prevalence in this study, pediatricians, family physicians and others should be aware that milk sharing occurs across demographics. They can counsel families considering or using shared milk on risks and risk-reduction strategies recommended by the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and the American Academy of Nursing, while noting that evidence on home pasteurization is still evolving.
What AMA members get with JAMA Network
The subscription cost of JAMA is included with your AMA membership, plus unlimited digital access to all JAMA Network journals, including: JAMA, JAMA Network Open, JAMA Cardiology, JAMA Dermatology, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Neurology, JAMA Oncology, JAMA Ophthalmology, JAMA Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Psychiatry, and JAMA Surgery.
The online journals include many helpful features for students, residents and fellows, including full-text PDFs, clinical challenges, archived editions, audio and video author interviews where authors give their perspectives on a study’s objectives, findings and implications.
There are several ways physicians can leverage resources from the JAMA Network to help them in their clinical practice:
- Take CME courses and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
- Fulfill maintenance of licensure (MOL) and CME requirements on JN Learning™, the home for all JAMA Network CME.
- Read concise summaries of clinical guidelines and recommendations in a streamlined format designed for today’s busy physicians.
- Access one-page articles that present key facts in patient-friendly terms to support you and your patients.
