National and regional trends in seizures of shrooms (psilocybin) in the United States, 2017–2022

Abstract

Background: Psilocybin, the principle psychoactive component in “shrooms”, is regaining acceptance in therapeutic settings, leading to media coverage of medical benefits associated with use. Possession is also becoming increasingly decriminalized throughout the United States. There is a lack of data on prevalence of shroom use, but trends in law enforcement seizure data can provide one indicator of shroom availability in US communities. We determined whether seizures of shrooms have shifted between 2017 and 2022. Methods: This study examined national and regional trends in counts and total weight of shroom seizures reported to High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas in the US between 2017 and 2022 (N=4526). Results: There were 402 seizures in 2017 compared to 1396 in 2022 with the plurality occurring in the Midwest (36.0%), followed by the West (33.5%). Between 2017 Quarter 1 (Q1) and 2022 Quarter 4 (Q4), the number of seizures increased by 368.9% (AQPC=7.0; 95 CI: 5.9–8.1) and there were significant increases in all four regions. In terms of weight, 226.0 kg was seized in 2017 vs. 844.0 kg in 2022, and the greatest total weight in seizures was in the West (1864.2 kg, 42.6%), followed by the South (1831.9 kg, 41.8%). Between 2017 Q1 and 2022 Q4, the total weight seized in the US increased by 2749.7% (AQPC=6.2, 95% CI: 0.3–12.4) and there were significant increases in all four regions. Conclusions: Seizures of shrooms have increased, suggesting that availability may be escalating; thus, increases in prevention efforts and harm reduction education are warranted.