Rand report: Considering alternatives to psychedelic drug prohibition

The Rand Corporation have produced an impressive report on psychedelics in USA. Its key findings are: "Unlike people who use cannabis and many other drugs, infrequent users of psychedelics account for most of the total days of use. The total number of use days for psychedelics — a proxy for the size of the market — is two orders of magnitude smaller than it is for cannabis. Within the class of drugs generally classified as psychedelics, psilocybin has the highest past-year and past-month prevalence rates among U.S. adults. Of those ages 18 and older, 3.1 percent — or approximately 8 million people — used psilocybin in 2023. Among those reporting the use of psilocybin in the past year, nearly half reported microdosing the last time they used it. Scientific literature is limited in its understanding of the consequences of using psychedelics and preventing and mitigating adverse events. Most of the policy changes at the state and local levels focus on supporting research and deprioritizing the enforcement of certain laws about psychedelics, but a few states have legalized some forms of supply and others are considering it. There are many supply policy options between prohibition and legalizing production and sales by for-profit companies. The role of price as a regulatory tool may matter less for psychedelics compared with many other drugs."

For more psychedelic news and research, visit the psychedelic health professional network homepage.