Calls to Poison Centers Involving Psilocybin on the Rise Among Young People

Since 2019, calls to U.S. poison centers involving youth or young adults who took the psychedelic psilocybin have risen sharply, according to astudy published today in theJournal of Adolescent Health. The timing is notable as 2019 was the start of apsilocybin decriminalization movement across numerous states and cities.Rita Farah, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine analyzed data from the National Poison Data System, which collects de-identified poison exposure data from centers across the country. The researchers examined all cases of psilocybin exposure between 2013 and 2022 involving young people aged 13 to 25.Over the 10-year period, the researchers identified 4,055 calls for psilocybin exposure, of which about 66% involved psilocybin alone. The poison calls generally included a visit to a health care facility due to hallucinations or delusions, agitation, elevated heart rate, or confusion. The calls included two reported deaths, but both involved a secondary substance (fentanyl and amphetamine).Between 2013 and 2018, the number of psilocybin calls per year remained steady among both adolescents (aged 13 to 19) and young adults (aged 20 to 25). Starting in 2019, however, the rates increased each year. In 2022, psilocybin-related poison calls by young adults had more than doubled compared with 2018 (to nearly 300 calls), while calls by adolescents had more than tripled (over 450 calls). The researchers noted that overall call volume to po...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: adolescents decriminalization poison call poison exposure psilocybin psychedelic young adults Source Type: research