Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant Jones, Matthew K. Nock
60 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy or psilocybin is linked to lower odds of suicidal thinking and psychological distress, while LSD use is linked to higher odds of suicidal thinking. Among 484,732 U.S. adults surveyed from 2008 to 2019, MDMA/ecstasy use was associated with 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking and 12% lower odds of suicidal planning. Psilocybin use was associated with 22% lower odds of past-month psychological distress and 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking. LSD use was associated with 7% higher odds of past-year suicidal thinking. These non-causal associations suggest potential therapeutic value but require experimental confirmation.
Scientific Reports
April 7, 2022
Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Joshua Lipson et al.
56 citations
People who have used psilocybin at some point in their lives have 30% lower odds of having opioid use disorder, based on data from a large U.S. national survey. No other classic psychedelic substances—such as LSD, peyote, or mescaline—showed a similar association. Psilocybin use was also linked to lower odds of meeting seven of the 11 diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder. These findings suggest psilocybin may hold promise as a treatment, but clinical trials are needed to establish causality.
Scientific Reports
October 10, 2022
Grant Jones, Matthew K. Nock
46 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA or psilocybin is associated with lower odds of psychological distress and suicidality among White individuals, but these protective associations are far fewer for racial and ethnic minorities. Analyzing data from over 484,000 participants in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019), race and ethnicity significantly moderated the links between psychedelic use and mental health outcomes. The findings highlight the need for further research on how identity factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual/gender minority status influence the effects of psychedelic substances.
Scientific Reports
February 16, 2022
Grant Jones, Matthew K. Nock
44 citations
Lifetime use of peyote, but not other classic psychedelics, is associated with more than 50% lower odds of cocaine use disorder (CUD) in a nationally representative U.S. sample of 214,505 adults from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Peyote also reduced odds for seven of 11 specific CUD criteria, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.26 to 0.47. Other psychedelics (mescaline, psilocybin, LSD) showed either no association or increased odds of CUD. The authors suggest that third variables such as demographic or personality profiles of peyote users may explain the association, and call for longitudinal studies to test temporal links.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant Jones, Matthew K. Nock
40 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy was associated with 16% lower odds of a major depressive episode (MDE) over a person's lifetime, the past year, and severe past-year MDE. Psilocybin use was linked to 10% lower odds of a past-year MDE and 13% lower odds of a severe past-year MDE. Other illegal or misused substances either showed no association with MDE or were linked to increased odds. The findings come from a large US sample and suggest a potential protective relationship, but experimental studies are needed to test causality.
Scientific Reports
June 22, 2022
Grant Jones, Joshua Lipson, Matthew K. Nock
31 citations
Lifetime use of psilocybin, peyote, or mescaline is associated with lower odds of current nicotine dependence, while lifetime LSD use is linked to higher odds. Analyzing 214,505 participants from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, multivariable logistic regression showed psilocybin use corresponded to reduced odds of nicotine dependence (adjusted odds ratio 0.87–0.93). Peyote and mescaline use also reduced odds on multiple subdomains of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (adjusted odds ratio 0.79–0.91). LSD use was associated with increased odds (adjusted odds ratio 1.17–1.24). These observational findings suggest potential for tryptamine and phenethylamine psychedelics in smoking cessation research, but causal relationships require experimental testing.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2022
Grant Jones, Matthew K. Nock
30 citations
Lifetime use of psilocybin was linked to lower odds of arrest for seven of eleven crime categories, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.30 to 0.73. Peyote use was associated with reduced odds of motor vehicle theft (aOR = 0.30) and driving under the influence (aOR = 0.52), while mescaline use was associated with reduced odds of drug possession or sale (aOR = 0.51). Most other substances showed no relationship or were linked to higher odds of arrest. The findings suggest classic psychedelic substances may be associated with lowered criminal behavior, but further research is needed to explore causal or third-variable explanations.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 31, 2022
Grant Jones
28 citations
Race and ethnicity influence how naturalistic use of MDMA/ecstasy and psilocybin relates to major depressive episodes. Among White adults, use of either substance was linked to lower odds of lifetime, past year, and past year severe major depressive episodes. For Hispanic adults, use of either substance was associated with lower odds only for a past year major depressive episode. For non-Hispanic racial minority adults, neither MDMA/ecstasy nor psilocybin use was associated with lower odds of any depressive outcome. The findings suggest that the potential mental health benefits of these psychedelics may not be uniform across racial and ethnic groups.
Scientific Reports
December 19, 2022
Grant Jones, Diego Arias, Matthew K. Nock
18 citations
Lifetime psilocybin use among U.S. adolescents aged 12-17 was associated with 15-23% lower odds of suicidal thinking, planning, and attempts, while LSD use was linked to 20-35% higher odds of these same outcomes. MDMA/ecstasy, peyote, and mescaline showed no significant associations with suicidal thoughts or behaviors. These findings come from a nationally representative sample of 262,617 adolescents surveyed between 2004 and 2019. The results suggest that individual classic psychedelics have distinct relationships with adolescent suicide risk, highlighting the need for further research to clarify these links.
Journal of Affective Disorders
February 1, 2025
Grant Jones, Matthew X. Lowe, Sandeep M. Nayak et al.
12 citations
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, is linked to improved mental wellbeing on average, but few studies examine how effects differ by race. In a large online longitudinal study of 2,833 people planning naturalistic psilocybin use, race/ethnicity moderated changes in spiritual wellbeing, cognitive flexibility, and emotion regulation (expressive suppression) at 2–3 months post-experience, but not at 2–4 weeks. Participants of Color reported minor differences in context and subjective effects, such as being more likely to set an intention before use. Both groups showed comparable reductions in anxiety and depression, with no significant moderation by race.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
August 24, 2023
Grant Jones, Patrick Mair, Maha Al-Suwaidi et al.
10 citations
Lifetime psilocybin use is associated with lower odds of arrest for property crime, assault, serious violence, and miscellaneous crimes in a large US sample. However, race and ethnicity moderate these associations: psilocybin conferred reduced odds of at least one crime arrest outcome for White, Indigenous, Asian, and Multiracial participants, but not for Black or Hispanic participants. The authors suggest that structural factors such as systemic racism may underlie these differences and call for intersectional research on sociodemographic factors, psychedelic use, and crime.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
January 1, 2025
James M Zech, David B. Yaden, Grant Jones
9 citations
Lifetime psilocybin use and past-year LSD use are associated with higher rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among U.S. adults. Analyzing nationally representative data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019, 2021–2022), the study found that people reporting use of these psychedelics had roughly double the risk of meeting DSM-5 criteria for CUD, including moderate-to-severe forms, after accounting for sociodemographic factors. Past-year LSD use also predicted three of eleven specific CUD symptoms among cannabis users. The findings indicate that naturalistic use of certain psychedelics may signal greater risk of maladaptive cannabis use, rather than supporting therapeutic benefits.
JMIR Formative Research
August 16, 2023
Grant Jones, Felipe Herrmann, Matthew K. Nock
7 citations
A digital music-based mindfulness intervention significantly reduced race-based anxiety in middle-to-low-income Black Americans. The web-based study used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design with five participants and featured contributions from a meditation teacher and a former presidential speechwriter. State anxiety decreased substantially after the intervention, with Tau-U effect sizes ranging from -0.75 to -0.38. Feasibility and acceptability were high, with participants rating their likelihood of recommending the intervention at 98 out of 100 on average. The intervention was designed to overcome common barriers to mindfulness treatments for Black Americans, such as high costs, time commitments, and limited cultural relevance.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 1, 2022
Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Peter S. Hendricks et al.
7 citations
Lifetime use of MDMA (ecstasy) is associated with better self-reported physical health, including lower risks of overweight/obesity, heart conditions, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes, along with higher odds of reporting good overall health. These associations emerged from a large, nationally representative U.S. sample, controlling for potential confounders. The findings suggest protective links between ecstasy use and various physical health markers, but the authors call for longitudinal studies and clinical trials to confirm causality.
Addictive behaviors reports
December 1, 2023
Grant Jones, Felipe Herrmann, Erica Wang
6 citations
Lifetime use of PCP is most strongly linked to hallucinogen dependence or abuse, increasing odds more than sixfold, while LSD, ketamine, and mescaline also raise odds of certain diagnostic criteria. Among 5,252 recent hallucinogen initiates, PCP use was associated with over six times higher odds of hallucinogen dependence or abuse (adjusted odds ratio 6.27), and it increased odds on all three main dependence and abuse criteria. LSD increased odds on two criteria, and ketamine and mescaline each increased odds on one criterion. MDMA, psilocybin, and peyote showed no significant associations. The findings suggest specific hallucinogens differ substantially in their links to disordered use.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 24, 2024
Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Matthew K. Nock
5 citations
Hypertension disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities. Using National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (2005–2014), the authors examined whether race and ethnicity modify the association between psilocybin use and past-year hypertension. Hispanic identity moderated this association. Non-Hispanic White individuals who used psilocybin had 17% lower odds of hypertension (adjusted odds ratio: 0.83), but no such protective association appeared for other racial or ethnic groups. The results indicate that the relationship between psychedelics and hypertension may differ by race and ethnicity, warranting further longitudinal and clinical research.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
October 12, 2023
Grant Jones, Franchesca Castro-Ramirez, Taylor Mcguire et al.
3 citations
A brief digital music-based mindfulness intervention called 'healing attempt' is feasible and may help reduce race-based anxiety in the Black community. The study replicates and extends earlier findings, suggesting the intervention is acceptable and potentially effective for addressing anxiety related to racial experiences.
PLoS One
May 7, 2025
Grant Jones
2 citations
Race and ethnicity moderate the link between psilocybin use and lower odds of opioid use disorder. Analyzing data from over 700,000 U.S. respondents, only White and Hispanic participants showed a significant association between psilocybin use and reduced odds of OUD (White adjusted odds ratio: 0.84; Hispanic adjusted odds ratio: 0.68). For Black, Asian, Indigenous, and Multiracial participants, no significant association was found. The findings suggest that the potential protective effect of psilocybin against OUD may not apply equally across racial and ethnic groups.
JMIR Formative Research
March 4, 2024
Grant Jones, Felipe Herrmann, Adam Bear et al.
2 citations
In a group of people who recently used psychedelics, increases in mindfulness were followed by improvements in well-being. The findings suggest that mindfulness may be a mechanism through which psychedelic experiences lead to positive mental health outcomes.
Scientific Reports
February 11, 2023
Grant Jones, Joshua Lipson, Erica Wang
2 citations
Social functioning problems are common in mental health disorders, but effective treatments are limited. Analyzing data from a large U.S. national survey (2015–2019, over 214,000 adults), lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy was linked to lower odds of three social difficulties: dealing with strangers (9% lower odds), participating in social activities (10% lower odds), and being prevented from social activities (16% lower odds). Lifetime mescaline use was also linked to lower odds of difficulty with strangers (15% lower odds). Other psychedelics showed no benefit or were associated with increased social difficulties. The authors note that experimental studies are needed to determine if these relationships are causal.
Addictive behaviors
June 1, 2026
Sebastian Ehmann, Nathan M. Hager, Paul S. Regier et al.
Using data from the 2023 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, lifetime use of mescaline or peyote was associated with lower opioid use disorder severity, while lifetime use of LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, or DMT was associated with higher severity. The link between mescaline/peyote use and lower severity appeared only among adults with high mental health impairment. The findings suggest that different types of psychedelic use have divergent relationships with opioid use disorder severity, and that mental health status may influence these associations.
PsyArXiv
November 2, 2025
Sebastian Ehmann, Nathan M. Hager, Paul S. Regier et al.
preprint
Among a national sample of US adults, lifetime psychedelic use is associated with lower severity of opioid use disorder, but this relationship depends on broader substance-use patterns and mental health. The protective association appears specific to certain substance-use profiles and is mediated by mental health status. The findings suggest that psychedelic use alone does not uniformly reduce opioid use disorder severity; rather, the context of other substance use and psychological well-being shapes the association.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
November 1, 2025
Felipe Herrmann, Grant Jones, Daniel M Low et al.
Increases in meaning in life, agreeableness, mindfulness, and extraversion are the psychological changes most strongly linked to future improvements in well-being after naturalistic psychedelic use. Increases in mindfulness, emotional stability, and extraversion are most associated with later reductions in anxiety, while increased self-esteem is most tied to decreased depression. Mindfulness was the only variable ranking among the top three predictors for all three outcomes—well-being, anxiety, and depression. These differing psychological changes may explain the mental health benefits observed after psychedelic use.
JMIR Formative Research
November 24, 2023
Grant Jones, Franchesca Castro-Ramirez, Maha Al-Suwaidi et al.
A brief, digital, music-based mindfulness intervention called 'healing attempt' reduced state anxiety and increased mindfulness and self-compassion in four Black American adults with elevated race-based anxiety and little-to-no meditation experience. In a series of single-case experiments conducted via Zoom, the intervention showed high feasibility and acceptability, with an average likelihood of recommending it of 88 out of 100. The findings suggest that such a low-cost, culturally adaptable approach may help address barriers to mental health care in this population, though further trials are needed to test lasting effects.
Grant Jones, Felipe Herrmann, Adam Bear et al.
Changes in mindfulness predict later changes in well-being among people who recently used psychedelics. The finding suggests that increases in mindfulness may lead to improvements in well-being in this population.