'Magic mushrooms' are making a comeback, particularly in the Midwest. Here's why

Psychedelic mushrooms are emerging again as a popular drug choice for some people – including some who struggle with anxiety and depression.

The burst in interest in psilocybin mushrooms coincides with the plants becoming decriminalized or legalized in some cities or states, with more legislation on the legal horizon in others (though not Ohio).

Drug seizures in the past year show that even the Cincinnati area and Ohio appear to be experiencing a resurgence of use of the drug that hippies once embraced as a cure for existential anxiety and just plain wonder. It is also a drug that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration placed on a list of dangerous substances in 1970.

Recently, the National Institute on Drug Abuse pointed to new research it funded that shows a dramatic rise in law enforcement seizures across the United States – and particularly in the Midwest – of psilocybin mushrooms.

The Enquirer wanted to know, are they here? How prevalent are they? And what makes “magic mushrooms” a thing again?

We asked experts in substance-use health, research and harm reduction. Here’s who they are:

• Dr. Marc Fishman, medical director of Maryland Treatment Centers; researcher in the treatment of adolescent opioid dependence.

• Brian Pace, a psychedelics researcher who teaches psychedelic studies at Ohio State University.

• Joseph Palamar, author of the new study and associate professor of population health at New York University Langone Health.

• Josh Zak, a resident of Cincinnati's Walnut Hills neighborhood and harm reduction specialist.

What are psilocybin mushrooms and what do they do?

They are called magic mushrooms, shrooms or just mushrooms. They are fungi that contain psilocybin, which turns into psilocin – a naturally occurring psychedelic drug – when ingested.

They may bring on hallucinations, sometimes reported by those who use them as “spiritual” experiences. They can cause euphoria, an altered sense of time, and depersonalization among other symptoms.

They act on seratonin receptors, and recent research shows they may be helpful to people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, and maybe other mental health conditions.

The science is in its early stages, researchers say.

What do law enforcement seizures of mushrooms look like here? And what does that mean?

Law enforcement is increasingly finding psilocybin mushrooms in the mix of drugs in the Cincinnati area, Ohio, Kentucky and across the nation. But the overall numbers of seizures are low.

The Cincinnati area's influx of items containing psilocybin mushrooms went from 14 to 153 in the past six years, Hamilton County Crime Laboratory records show.

“We are seeing a large influx in hallucinogenic cases in general, with mushrooms being the most prominent,” said Laura Kimble, chief drug analyst for the lab, which serves about 46 police agencies in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler, and Montgomery counties.

Psilocybin mushroom seizures jumped statewide in Ohio, Kentucky and across the nation from 2017 to 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse study, which compared the number of mushroom seizures made by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area law enforcement. Ohio's count went from 25 to 107 seizures during the period. Kentucky's, 8 to 48. The U.S. from 402 to 1,396.

Author Palamar said the seizures are used as one indicator of increasing use of the drug.

"I believe more people are using shrooms, but we’re lacking data that shows increasing trends in use, largely because most drug surveys used don't specifically ask about shroom use," Palamar said. National surveys either don't ask about psychedelics overall or don’t ask about recent use.

He did research in nightclubs and festivals in New York City that showed an upswing in magic mushrooms use, but he said this population is known for high rates of drug use, which may or may not translate to use among other groups. Still, it's apparent through social media and studies that more people are using them.

Mushroom use in a 'hype cycle' says OSU psychedelics expert

The use of plant-based hallucinogens in ceremonies is centuries old. Recreational use of mushrooms is nothing new, either. And research in its use for mental health and substance use was popular in the mid-20th century but stopped after it was deemed a Schedule I, illicit drug.

So why is it popular again now? Fishman and Pace think it's because the information about new studies of psilocybin mushroom mental health treatment possibilities is widespread.

And the more mainstream the idea becomes that hallucinogenic mushrooms are promising new treatments for depression and anxiety, the more likely people will feel comfortable trying it on their own.

"When you decrease the perception of harm … (and) you increase the access, people will use more," Fishman said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made psilocybin mushrooms a breakthrough therapy in 2018. New research is indicating that it may help people with depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Science also points to mushrooms reducing specific depression and anxiety for people who are facing a diagnosis of death, and promising indications it can help treat addiction.

For the general public, though?

“It’s faddish,” Fishman said.

Pace agrees: "Psychedelics are amidst a hype cycle right now and that, coupled with recent decriminalization efforts, are likely behind the increase reported by NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse)."

Restrictions on psilocybin mushroom use have dropped over the past few years, and Zak, the Cincinnati harm reduction specialist, said it's easy to access them, online and elsewhere. It can also be intriguing to do so, he said.

"It almost resembles the gray market on weed," Zak said. "Not just in mushroom form. There’s a lot of packaging and marketing going on." That commodification of mushrooms brings in consumers, he said.

Are there risks to using magic mushrooms?

Mushrooms are not addictive, but Pace said some people may become "obsessed" with using them.

A small minority of people who've used them have reported "bad trips," experiencing mental confusion, anxiety, psychotic episodes or paranoia. The setting in which they are consumed is important, Zak said.

Fishman cautions, "Buyer beware."

He said that the science of mushroom use for mental health and more is "good science," but he added, regarding the general population, "we tend to get ahead of ourselves."

"If it's in the medicine cabinet, it must be OK,” seems to be the American thought process, Fishman said, pointing to prescription painkiller misuse as an example.

"There is no magic bullet," Pace said.

He warned that those who have a bad time while taking mushrooms can have a "very bad" time and urged education among anyone who uses them or is around someone who does.

"It's why I teach psychedelic studies," Pace said, "both to combat stigma and misinformation as much as to temper the expectations of those subjected to hype about them."

Harm reduction recommendations include having a safe, or comfortable space, having time and using only with people you trust, Zak said. He also said it's best to use smaller amounts because content and concentration can vary, even among two individual mushrooms in the same batch.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Magic psilocybin mushrooms are making a national comeback. Why?