Public interest in psychedelic microdosing in the US surged 13.4-fold from 2015 to 2023, reaching 3.0 million Google searches in 2023. State-level cannabis and psychedelic legislative reforms were associated with increased search rates: local psychedelic decriminalization with an increase of 22.4 per 10 million searches, statewide psychedelic therapeutic legalization and decriminalization with 28.9 per 10 million, recreational cannabis laws with 40.9 per 10 million, and medical cannabis laws with 11.5 per 10 million. From August to December 2023, 27% of the variation in monthly search rates between states was explained by differences in cannabis and psychedelics legal status.
Use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms among U.S. adults rose from 11.4% in 2021 to 12.3% in 2022, making them the most commonly used hallucinogenic substance. This growing interest has spurred a commercial market for other mushrooms, including Amanita muscaria, which contains the psychoactive compounds muscimol and ibotenic acid.
Cannabis is the most commonly microdosed substance among U.S. adults, with 9.4% (24.1 million) reporting lifetime use, followed by psilocybin (5.3%, 13.7 million), LSD (4.8%, 12.4 million), and MDMA (2.2%, 5.7 million). Cannabis is primarily microdosed for medical reasons such as pain management, whereas psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA are more often used recreationally. Lifetime microdosing is more prevalent among people with poorer mental health and those living in jurisdictions with fewer restrictions on cannabis and psychedelics. As policies continue to evolve, the prevalence of microdosing may increase, highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance.