Retail Availability of Intoxicating Cannabis and Mushroom Products Across Eleven U.S. Cities: Sales Persist Despite Prohibitions.
Cassidy R Loparco, Matthew E Rossheim, Kayla K Tillett, Yuxian Cui, Miranda Johnson, Morgan Speer, Darby Mihelich, Hermela Amdeta, Diane Ndisebuye, Carla J. Berg
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs May 28, 2026 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.26-00013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,023 |
| Population | US smoke shops in eleven cities across states with varying DICP and psilocybin laws |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Hemp-derived cannabinoids Marketing Public health policy |
| Key findings | 51.4% of smoke shops reported selling DICPs, including 39.6% in states where such sales are explicitly illegal, and 59.7% sold hallucinogenic mushrooms regardless of psilocybin legal status. |
Abstract
Retail sales of intoxicants, including derived intoxicating cannabis products (DICPs) such as delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and hallucinogenic mushrooms, have rapidly increased throughout the US, despite their sale being federally illegal. This study assessed DICP and hallucinogenic mushroom availability in US smoke shops with differing DICP and psilocybin laws. In May-October 2025, using Google's Incognito mode, we searched "smoke shop in [city, state]" across eleven cities in states (California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington) with differing legal contexts for THC and mushrooms (7 explicitly prohibited DICP sales, 2 decriminalized psilocybin, Amanita was not explicitly illegal in any). We called each store (n=1,023) to assess product availability. Bivariate tests assessed differences by state laws. 73.0% (n=747/1,023) answered the phone and responded about DICP availability: 51.4% (n=384/747) reported selling DICPs (39.6% DICPs illegal vs. 80% not explicitly illegal, p<.05; range: 2.0% in New York City to 93.8% in Jacksonville, FL). Overall, 70.2% (n=718/1,023) answered questions about mushroom availability: 59.7% (n=414/718) sold mushrooms (56.6% decriminalized psilocybin vs. 57.9% illegal psilocybin, p=.786; range: 0% in New York City to 84.0% in Las Vegas, NV). Among those selling mushrooms, 54.1% specified they sold Amanita mushrooms, 28.5% did not know mushroom type, and 17.4% said 'something else'. DICPs were sold widely, including in states where they were expressly illegal (~40%). One-third of retailers were unable to identify mushroom type sold. Collectively, findings suggest the need for greater retail surveillance, education, and enforcement.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis use before age 15 and subsequent executive functioning 104 chronic cannabis users (49 early-onset before age 15, 55 late-onset after age 15)... | 2011 | Observational cross-sectional study | n = 148 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
| Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey Online survey respondents | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study Users of hallucinogenic drugs who completed a web-based questionnaire | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 600 |
| Illicit Use of LSD or Psilocybin, but not MDMA or Nonpsychedelic Drugs, is Associated with Mystical Experiences in a Dose-Dependent Manner Adults recruited from the MAPS website and newsletter, most reporting use of various... | 2012 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 337 |