Since Colorado decriminalized psilocybin, use of the drug appears to have increased in the state, though that’s uncertain because the jump — 1.8 percentage points to 4.3% of the adult population — is not statistically significant.
Meanwhile, people across the country are reporting that they have traveled to Colorado or Oregon, another state that decriminalized psilocybin, to use the drug, which is also referred to as magic mushrooms.
We know these things because of studies published by Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety. The center is based at Denver Health and has evolved beyond a run-of-the-mill poison-control hotline to become a research powerhouse on drug use and effects. (Though it does still operate poison services for four states, as well as a battery ingestion hotline.)
Now, Rocky Mountain has received new federal funding to continue research its experts hope will help consumers use psychedelics more safely, help doctors provide better advice on psychedelics and help states come up with smarter policies.
The grant — $3.1 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse — will allow Rocky Mountain to continue conducting a survey the center developed. The goal is for the National Survey Investigating Hallucinogenic Trends to reach 60,000 people per year across the country, with extra emphasis on states like Colorado that are loosening restrictions on psychedelics. (Of the people who take the survey, about 4.5% report having used any psychedelic drug, including psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA and LSD, in the previous year.)
Dr. Andrew Monte, the associate director of Rocky Mountain, said the survey will help doctors and policymakers understand what specific psychedelics people are using and why. It will provide insight, for instance, on how often people are going to the emergency room as a result of psychedelic use. And it will help researchers learn whether clinical trials that show psychedelics can be helpful in mental health treatment hold up in the real world.
“Use in the community is different from use in a clinical trial,” Monte said. “That’s the thing we have to remember.”
Part of the goal is to avoid a repeat of what happened when Colorado legalized cannabis, resulting in an increase in accidental ingestions and emergency room visits, especially among tourists, while the state played catch-up on policies.
Monte said planning for the survey began in 2023, and the survey was launched for the first time in 2024. Even in just that first year, it gathered intriguing data on psychedelic use nationally.
For instance, while Colorado’s decriminalization law focuses on potential wellness benefits to psilocybin use, the survey has found that nationwide the most common reason people report using psilocybin is for fun, enjoyment or celebration — 68.2% of psilocybin consumers. The next-highest reason was curiosity at 46.3%, followed by 38.6% who said they used the drug for personal growth and change. (Survey respondents could list more than one reason, which is why the percentages add up to more than 100%.)
In comparison, 26.8% said they used psilocybin specifically to treat a physical or mental health issue. However, nearly half of psilocybin consumers said they agreed or strongly agreed that the drug improved their mental health, compared to 21.2% who said they disagreed or strongly disagreed that the drug improved their mental health.
The same patterns largely hold for other psychedelic substances except for ketamine, where the most common reason given was for medicinal use.
Nationally, psychedelic use was most common in 2024 in states on the West Coast, followed by states, including Colorado, in the mountain West or in the mid-Atlantic regions. Psilocybin was the most commonly used psychedelic reported in the survey, followed by MDMA and ketamine.
About 29% of people reported using psilocybin in conjunction with alcohol, while nearly 38% reported using it along with cannabis.
Monte said one reason it’s valuable to gather and report this data is to let doctors know how their patients may be using psychedelics.
“I do think this is a really important time for providers to be talking to their patients about use,” Monte said. “If we have an open dialog, there can be a conversation about things like, ‘Hey is this going to interact with my medicines?’”
The survey, he said, also provides a baseline now — as psilocybin healing centers prepare to open — that can be used for comparison in future years. This will allow policymakers to see how new rules may have impacted use.
“It will allow us,” Monte said, “to understand what the community outcomes are associated with those policies.”