Poison control calls about mushrooms increased nationwide with more use of psychedelics — but remained low, CU study finds

Calls to U.S. poison control centers about hallucinogenic mushrooms tripled in five years, even as calls about psychedelics decreased overall.

A new paper by researchers at University of Colorado’s School of Medicine examined almost 55,000 calls related to psychedelic use from 2012 to 2022. The authors noted that about 8.5 million Americans reported trying psychedelics at least once in 2022, meaning the callers represented a small fraction of all users.

Calls related to “magic mushrooms,” which contain psilocybin, started rising in 2018 after holding relatively steady for the previous six years, roughly tripling by 2022. At that point, Colorado and Oregon had yet to legalize psilocybin use, but interest in the drugs as mental health aids was growing.

The first psilocybin “healing centers” in Colorado could open this spring. The law requires patients to consume the drugs onsite and under the supervision of a facilitator, though some sellers have skirted the regulations by offering “complimentary” mushrooms — which are decriminalized — if customers pay for their education on how to use them.

Calls about other psychedelics mostly held steady, though those related to hallucinogenic stimulants and phencyclidine (PCP) decreased.

Most cases were relatively mild. Of callers who used hallucinogenic mushrooms, 28% reported minor or no effects on their health, 44% reported moderate impacts and 4% reported major problems. Nine people died after taking mushrooms, though the researchers didn’t have information on whether the drug contributed.

The most common complications were (presumably unpleasant) hallucinations or delusions; agitation; fast heart rate; nausea or vomiting; confusion; and pupil dilation. The most common treatments were intravenous fluids and anti-anxiety drugs.

A 2024 national survey estimated about 3.1% of Colorado adults, or roughly 140,000 people, used psilocybin in the previous year. Nationwide, about 1.8% of adults, or 4.9 million people, said they tried psilocybin in the last year, according to Denver Health.

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