Psilocybin - Usage Trends

Usage Trends

Psilocybin has never been widely used, but it has never been ignored, either. From the days in the 1500s when Spanish missionaries tried to stamp out its use among the indigenous peoples of the Americas, to the 1957 Life magazine article that popularized "magic mushrooms," people have experimented with psilocybin. Mushrooms continued to be used in the 1960s and early 1970s as part of the "hippie era," and their effects were praised by such well-known drug gurus as Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (1931– ). In fact, Leary described his first experience with magic mushrooms as a religious experience.

By the end of the 1980s, psilocybin use had dropped considerably. Some drug users were reluctant to try magic mushrooms because various species of mushrooms are poisonous. It can be hard to tell which ones are poisonous and which ones are not. Also, reports of fatalities—not from overdose but from bizarre behavior while under the influence—have helped to curb the desire for magic mushrooms.

Raves Renew Mushrooms' Popularity

The rave scene of the 1990s revived interest in psilocybin, however. Since raves typically involve loud music and frantic dancing in crowded spaces, drugs that cause excitement to the nervous system are more popular in this setting than drugs that calm people down. As an hallucinogen, psilocybin was of interest to some partygoers.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) reported in 1997 that 10.2 million people had tried psilocybin at least once. Other reports suggested that even more people might have tried the drug without knowing its scientific name.

Psilocybin Chronology

c. 9,000 BCE     A religious cult living in what is now the Sahara Desert creates carvings of gods shaped like mushrooms.

2000-1400 BCE     Priests in India compile the Vedas, a series of writings that mention the use of psychedelic mushrooms in religious ceremonies. The authors call the drug Soma.

100 CE     Aztec artists carve statues in which gods are depicted with mushrooms.

1502     A Psilocybe mushroom called teonanacatl is used by Native American priests during the coronation of the Aztec king Montezuma.

1958     R. Gordon Wasson writes a story about psychedelic mushroom use for Life magazine. The story is titled "Magic Mushrooms."

1958     Albert Hofmann makes the psilocybin compound in a laboratory, leading to the drug's use in treating mental disorders.

1968     Psilocybin and its related compound, psilocin, are made illegal in the United States.

1970     The Controlled Substances Act names psilocybin and psilocin Schedule I controlled substances.

In 2003, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed a decrease in all hallucinogen use, across all ages and both genders. Psilocybin is most popular among young adults, age eighteen to

Prior to June 2002, Magic Mushrooms were sold legally in Japan. Packs such as this were for sale at shops and stores. Haruyoshi Yamagushi/Corbis.
Prior to June 2002, Magic Mushrooms were sold legally in Japan. Packs such as this were for sale at shops and stores. © Haruyoshi Yamagushi/Corbis.

twenty-four, and use continues to be reported sporadically on college campuses. Even so, the survey revealed that only about 2 in every 100 young Americans reported hallucinogen use, and that sampling included other more popular hallucinogens such as LSD and PCP (phencyclidine). (Entries on both drugs are available in this encyclopedia.)

Legal Use

Some people can use psilocybin legally. These include certain Native American groups who use the mushrooms for religious reasons. In addition, due to a legal loophole, psilocybin mushrooms were sold legally in Japan up until mid-2002. Vendors could sell the shrooms for "non-consumptive" uses. Shop owners peddled them as "decorations" and for "aroma therapy," but once the mushrooms were purchased, buyers often did as they pleased with them. According to BBC News, in 2002 the Japanese government put a stop to all buying and selling of magic mushrooms. "[T]hose found in possession of magic mushrooms could face up to seven years in prison," which is the same sentence given for those convicted of cocaine possession.