UC Berkeley Survey Finds Psychedelics Use Evolving

A recent survey by the Center for the Sciences of Psychedelics (BCSP) at UC Berkeley has found that the way people use psychedelics is evolving amid increased awareness and local legislative reform. Americans are more aware of psychedelics than they have been for decades, and the poll found that most survey respondents support regulating psychedelic-assisted therapies or at least decriminalizing psychedelics.

As with cannabis, psychedelics have benefitted from a nationwide wave of reform that has seen legislators in several states table proposals to legalize therapeutic psychedelic use. In addition, psychedelics have seen a significant surge in interest from the scientific community, resulting in a growing body of research that points to hallucinogens as a potential treatment for several mental disorders.

According to recent BCSP poll, 61% of registered voters in America are in favor of a “regulated legal framework” for medical psychedelic use with 35% strongly supporting the creation of such a framework. The poll is one of the most comprehensive surveys on psychedelic opinions among the U.S. public, coming at a time when psychedelics are enjoying significant mainstream attention and legislators across the country are debating psychedelic-related policies.

BCSP executive director Imran Khan explained that the organization aims to support the fledgling psychedelic industry by providing “trustworthy data and vital evidence.” The new survey noted that at least 47% of the surveyed U.S. adults have recently heard about psychedelics and 48% reported receiving messages about psychedelics’ potential as mental health treatments, the poll found.

LSD was the most known psychedelic at 96% of the survey participants, followed by MDMA at 91%, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) at 83%, mescaline/peyote at 67%, ketamine at 66%, and DMT, ayahuasca and ibogaine at 37%, 35% and 12% respectively. The survey also noted that 52% of the respondents said that someone close to them or they themselves had used psychedelics previously, and 48% reported using psychedelics within the past five years.

When asked why they used natural psychedelics, 73% said it was for recreational purposes, 39% for medical reasons and 32% for spiritual reasons. Furthermore, 27% said they used psychedelics for microdosing reasons, 25% for artistic reasons, and 16% for “something else.”

Although a majority of the survey participants were in favor of legalizing therapeutic use, 59% said that hallucinogenics were “dangerous” and another 59% believe that psychedelics can have negative and long-term effects on health. Of the 61% who support legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy, 47% said that psychedelics were “not good for society.”

The work that industry players such as Seelos Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SEEL) are doing is likely to foster more awareness about psychedelics, and those who think these substances are harmful to society could become a slim minority over time.

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