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Who Is Reached by Supervised Psilocybin Services? Oregon Services Versus National Psilocybin Use

Gabriel P. A. Costa, Christina Riggione, Christopher Pittenger, Joao P De Aquino

DOI: 10.64898/2026.09.03.26362170 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional descriptive comparison
Sample size 5,935
Population Oregon Psilocybin Services clients and US adults reporting past-year psilocybin use
Topics Psilocybin
Key findings Oregon Psilocybin Services clients were predominantly female, older, higher-income, and wellness-oriented, whereas national psilocybin users were predominantly male, younger, and had high rates of psychiatric conditions and substance use disorder. The authors contend that Oregon's data should not be generalized to broader psilocybin use.

Abstract

Supervised psilocybin services are expanding across the United States, yet how individuals accessing these programs compare with those using psilocybin in the general population is unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive comparison of Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) data from licensed service centers in 2025 (5,935 encounters) and the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) public-use file (1,822 of 47,299 adults reporting past-year psilocybin use), examining demographics, reasons for use, self-reported disability, and past-year psychiatric conditions and treatment. OPS clients were predominantly female (58.2%) and aged 35 or older (82.1%), whereas adults reporting psilocybin use nationally were predominantly male (64.0%) and younger than 35 (56.7%). Racial and ethnic minority representation was narrower in Oregon (0.9% Black, 2.5% Hispanic vs. 5.4% and 14.3% nationally). OPS clients reported higher incomes (58.5% earning >$95,000) and primarily cited wellness; self-reported disability was uncommon. Adults using psilocybin nationally had high past-year rates of major depressive episode (22.7%), serious psychological distress (36.8%), substance use disorder (61.7%), and mental health treatment receipt (42.9%). Oregon's open-access model selects higher-income, clinically stable, wellness-oriented adults, while millions with psychiatric and substance-use burden use psilocybin outside supervised channels; its safety and utilization data should not be generalized.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on psilocybin, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Survey study of challenging experiences after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms: Acute and enduring positive and negative consequences Individuals who had consumed psilocybin mushrooms and experienced a psychologically... 2016 Cross-sectional survey n = 1,993
The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin 2016 Questionnaire development and validation
Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States 2013 Cross-sectional survey n = 130,152
Cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption and misuse after psychedelic use Individuals with prior alcohol use disorder who reported cessation or reduction in... 2019 Cross-sectional survey n = 343
Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students 2006 Cross-sectional survey n = 149

Citations in the library

Cites 5

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