Calls to magic mushroom poison centers have skyrocketed since a wave of decriminalization efforts on the drug began less than five years ago.
The rate of calls from teens ages 13 to 19 tripled between 2018 and 2022, and three-quarters of exposures to psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical in magic mushrooms, required medical attention.
Anyone can call the 1-800 poison control hotline, which will connect them to one of the country’s 55 poison centers, which have experts available at all times to provide advice if someone has ingested something dangerous like a drug or household chemicals.
The rate doubled among young adults in their 20s, and almost the same proportion required help from a doctor, according to researchers at the University of Virginia.
Calls to poison centers were not limited to those in states where restrictions on the drug have been lifted, suggesting that growing acceptance of the drug across the country could be driving potentially dangerous use even where it is illegal.
Oregon and Colorado have decriminalized psilocybin, as have several cities, including Washington, D.C., Detroit, and Seattle.
The most common complaint among people who called poison control centers was hallucinations, followed by agitation and abnormally fast heartbeats.
Denver, Colorado, set the stage in May 2019 for a wave of nationwide efforts to lift bans on psilocybin, a topic of growing interest among scientists seeking new ways to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. serious in veterans.
While the psychedelic has shown promise in those areas, it has not been tested in the brains of young, developing children, who may be subject to long-lasting effects such as changes in brain structure, impairment of cognition and emotion processing, an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and potential for addiction.
Doctors are concerned that children can get the drug despite the age restriction for those over 21 in places where it has been decriminalized, adding that the compound comes in child-friendly vehicles such as chocolate and candy.
Calls from 13 to 19 years old increased from 152 to 464 in the period from 2018 to 2022, while calls from people aged 20 to 25 increased from 125 to 294 in that period.
By comparison, the number of psilocybin-related calls to poison centers for people ages 13 to 25 remained virtually unchanged between 2013 and 2018, the researchers found.
The sharp increase in the number of children receiving the drug was “particularly alarming,” the researchers said.
The most common effects were hallucinations or delusions, which accounted for 37 percent of calls.
Agitation was the second most common reason, accounting for about 28 percent of calls, followed by an abnormally fast heart rate at 20 percent. Sixteen percent of callers cited confusion.
Two deaths were linked to psilocybin use, but both people had also used other drugs at the same time.
The main reason for their deaths was fentanyl or a type of hallucinogenic amphetamine, with psilocybin playing a minor role.
Dr. Rita Farah, an epidemiologist at the Blue Ridge Poison Center, said, “As psilocybin becomes more available, it is important for parents to be aware that psilocybin is also available in edible forms, such as chocolate and gummies
“And we learned from our experience with edible cannabis that young children can mistake edibles for candy.”
Oregon and Colorado have decriminalized psilocybin, as have several cities, including Washington, D.C., Detroit, and Seattle.
Psilocybin has mind-altering effects by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain and altering its signaling pathways.
Activation of serotonin receptors, which is crucial for regulating mood and emotions, creates a cascade of neurological activity, including an increase in the neurotransmitter glutamate, which is involved in learning and memory.
It also disrupts what is known as the default mode network, which involves mind wandering and introspection, leading to alterations in consciousness and sense of self.
It also increases connectivity between different brain regions, which could explain altered sensory experiences during a “trip.”
Dr. Christopher Holstege, director of UVA Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at the UVA School of Medicine, said, “I am deeply concerned that children are gaining access to these products.
“We have limited data on the possible long-term consequences on children’s developing brains when they are exposed to compounds that affect brain neurotransmission.
He added: “We also do not fully understand why some people have markedly adverse complications from psilocybin, known as “bad trips”, which can cause harm to the person taking it or to others who may be victims of violent behavior.”
Small clinical trials have shown that low doses administered in a clinical setting, such as a therapist’s office, may have even more beneficial effects than standard antidepressants.
But a “bad trip” could be dangerous in an unregulated environment, such as at a person’s home alone or with friends. For example, some people have been known to jump out of windows while under the influence of alcohol.