Summary: A large new analysis finds that people who have used classic psychedelics are significantly less likely to engage in antisocial or criminal behavior. By contrast, lifetime use of many other illicit substances is associated with an increased likelihood of criminal activity.
Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD and mescaline (found in peyote) are linked with a lower likelihood of antisocial and criminal behavior, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the study used nationally representative survey data to examine associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and a range of criminal outcomes. The investigators report that people who have ever used a classic psychedelic—particularly psilocybin—show reduced odds of both property and violent crimes. The authors suggest these findings support further clinical research on classic psychedelics, including in forensic settings.
“These findings, combined with existing and emerging evidence, indicate that classic psychedelics may provide lasting psychological and prosocial benefits for people involved with the criminal justice system,” said Peter Hendricks, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the UAB School of Public Health. “They make a case for considering clinical research with classic psychedelics in forensic contexts.”
The researchers analyzed pooled data from more than 480,000 U.S. adults drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health over a 13-year period. Respondents were asked about lifetime use of a variety of classic psychedelics, including ayahuasca (a traditional Amazonian plant brew), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), LSD, mescaline, peyote or San Pedro cacti, and psilocybin mushrooms.
After adjusting for a range of demographic and behavioral covariates, lifetime use of a classic psychedelic was associated with lower odds of several criminal outcomes in the past year: a 27% reduction in odds of larceny/theft, a 12% reduction in odds of assault, a 22% reduction in odds of arrest for a property crime, and an 18% reduction in odds of arrest for a violent crime. In contrast, lifetime illicit use of many other substances was generally linked to higher odds of these criminal outcomes.
Hendricks and colleagues note that classic psychedelics can occasion profound psychological experiences—often described as mystical or peak experiences—that have been reported to produce lasting changes in attitudes, behavior and social connectedness. The authors argue these enduring effects may underlie the observed association between classic psychedelic exposure and reduced antisocial conduct.
The investigators emphasize that the associations observed in this large cross-sectional dataset are consistent with a protective effect of classic psychedelic use on antisocial criminal behavior rather than an increased ability to avoid detection or arrest. However, they also note that lifetime use of most substances—including classic psychedelics—was associated with higher odds of past-year drug distribution, indicating complex relationships between different forms of illicit behavior and substance use.
Implications and recommendations
Given the societal costs of criminal behavior and the limited effectiveness of many existing interventions, the authors argue there is a compelling rationale for initiating carefully controlled clinical research examining whether classic psychedelics, including psilocybin, can be developed as interventions to reduce antisocial conduct and improve rehabilitative outcomes in forensic populations. They call for rigorous, ethically designed trials in order to test causality and to identify appropriate therapeutic settings, dosing, and supportive care models.
About this research
Source: Bob Shepard, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Publisher: NeuroscienceNews.com. Original research: “The relationships of classic psychedelic use with criminal behavior in the United States adult population,” by Peter S. Hendricks and colleagues, Journal of Psychopharmacology (published online October 17, 2017).
Abstract (concise summary)
The study pooled data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002–2014) to examine relationships between lifetime classic psychedelic use and past-year criminal outcomes among more than 480,000 U.S. adults while controlling for multiple covariates. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with reduced odds of past-year larceny/theft (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 0.73), past-year assault (aOR = 0.88), past-year arrest for a property crime (aOR = 0.78), and past-year arrest for a violent crime (aOR = 0.82). In contrast, lifetime illicit use of many other substances was generally associated with increased odds of these outcomes. Results were consistent with a protective effect of psilocybin on antisocial criminal behavior and support further clinical research in forensic settings.
Feel free to share this summary of the research.