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Prevalence of reported peyote use 1985-2010 effects of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994.

Bob Prue

American Journal on Addictions 2014 DOI: 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12083.x (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 886,088
Population American Indian and general US population
Topics Mescaline
Citations 16
Key findings American Indian peyote use rose to nearly 10% after the 1994 AIRFA amendment, while use among the rest of the US population remained stable at 1–2%, suggesting prior under-reporting due to legal status.

Abstract

Peyote was classified as a hallucinogen in the Drug Abuse Control Act of 1965, leaving American Indian (AI) religious use in legal ambiguity. In 1994, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was amended to unambiguously protect the right of religious use of peyote for AIs. The purpose of this article is to report the prevalence rates of peyote use by AIs compared to the rest of the US population and to determine what effect the act's passage had on peyote use rates. This investigation utilized an analysis of existing archived large nationally representative surveys of the American population. Data on peyote use rates was determined for most years 1985 through 2010. A total of 886,088 completed surveys were analyzed, of which 12,749 were from AIs. Use rates were triangulated using peyote harvest data. Peyote use for AIs and the rest of the US population has remained stable between 1% and 2%. American Indian use rose dramatically in the 4 years following the AIRFA and leveled to just under 10%. The rapidity of the rise was excessive in light of the growth in the NAC and compared to the amounts of peyote stocks available. It is hypothesized that social desirability biases suppressed the Pre-AIRFA use rates due to peyote illegal status. Beyond describing peyote use rates and the effects of the AIRFA, this research adds to the body of evidence regarding the levels of under-reporting of illicit drugs.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on mescaline, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults 2015 Observational cohort n = 135,095
Long-lasting subjective effects of LSD in normal subjects Healthy participants 2017 Observational cohort n = 16
Psychological and cognitive effects of long-term peyote use among Native Americans. Navajo Native Americans aged 18-45 2005 Observational cohort n = 176
Mescaline-induced psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurometabolic effects in normal subjects: experimental psychosis as a tool for psychiatric research. Normal men who were volunteers 1992 Observational cohort n = 12
2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methyl-amphetamine (STP): A New Hallucinogenic Drug Normal control volunteers 1967 Observational study

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