Participants self-report their drug use behaviors across various time periods, including lifetime, past year (12 months), past month (30 days), and other use frequencies depending on the substance type. Data for the 2023 panel study were collected via online and paper surveys from April 2023 through October 2023. As the head of NIDA’s Designer Drug Research Unit, Dr. Baumann and his team study the biological effects of new psychoactive substances (NPSs), lab-made compounds clandestinely created to skirt existing drug laws. Both mandates demand a dogged yet visionary approach to the science of drug development. When someone has a substance use disorder and a co-occurring disorder or health condition, it is usually better to treat these health issues at the same time rather than separately. Research suggests that this can make all the treatments more effective and improve health outcomes.

Is there research to develop new treatments for substance use disorders?

The FDA has also granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for two formulations of psilocybin being studied as potential medical treatments for depression. NIDA conducts and supports research on psychedelic and dissociative drugs to help inform health decisions and policies related to their use. This research includes efforts to better understand the health effects of psychedelic and dissociative drugs, how chemicals in—or similar to—these drugs work in the brain, and whether they may be able to treat substance use disorders and other conditions.

Misuse of Prescription Drugs Research Report

• Since 1975 the MTF survey has measured drug and alcohol use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide.
• NIDA-funded research has led to effective prevention and treatment approaches, helping millions of Americans lead healthier lives, reduce their overdose risk, and recover from SUD.
• Federal funding on psychedelics would remain dry for 50 years, until 2021 when Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) was awarded a nearly $4 million NIH grant to investigate the potential effects of psilocybin on tobacco addiction.
• To be diagnosed with a substance use disorder, a person must meet specific diagnostic criteria for continued substance use despite negative consequences.
• Cannabis use in the past year and past month remained at historically high levels for both adult age groups in 2023.
• The emergency and referral resources listed above are available to individuals located in the United States and are not operated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Universities and the NIH began to question the safety and legitimacy of this line of research. Researchers themselves, by and large, did drop out…of studying psychedelics. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified psilocybin, the main psychoactive constituent of psychedelic mushrooms, as a Schedule I substance—denoted as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. And if their enthusiastic reception was any indication, it appears that the NIH is primed to start anew on research on molecules, receptors, and neural systems that mediate the actions of psychedelic drugs. See NIDA-funded projects related to psychedelic and dissociative drugs, and learn more about related clinical trials.

They also investigated NBOMe psychedelics—N-bombs—as imaging agents to visualize serotonin receptors in the brain. The authors note that states and regions where seizures are reported don’t necessarily reflect the intended destinations for the seized psilocybin mushrooms. In addition, law enforcement efforts may vary across areas, and a higher number of seizures could be a result of increased vigilance by law enforcement.

Since 1975 the MTF survey has measured drug and alcohol use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Develop research training programs to prepare and train the next generation of addiction scientists. However, please cite NIDA as the resource and also state the name of the person or organization that provided the translation. NIDA provides a variety of free publications for use by health care providers, researchers, educators, and the general public.

What is psilocybin?

NIDA also supports research that is developing and testing approaches to prevent substance use and misuse studies investigating whether and how harm reduction methods may prevent, reverse, or reduce rates of overdose. Emergency department (ED) clinicians are in a unique position to interact with people struggling with opioid addiction... More information on treatments being studied by NIDA can be found on our website. Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 2.6% (or about 7.4 million people) reported using hallucinogens in the past 12 months. The 2023 survey year was the first time a cohort from the Monitoring the Future study reached 65 years of age; therefore, trends for the 55- to 65-year-old age group are not yet available. Reports of past-year and past-month vaping of nicotine reached 25% and 19%, respectively.

In recent years, there has been growing research interest in the potential of psychedelic and dissociative drugs to treat medical conditions, including mental health disorders. Importantly, research on psychedelics as a medical treatment is done within a therapeutic structure, which includes a preparatory session with a clinician, a controlled environment and supervision while experiencing the effects of psilocybin, and follow-up sessions. Psilocybin mushrooms fall under a broader drug category known as psychedelic and dissociative drugs, which can temporarily alter a person’s mood, thoughts, and perceptions.

Physical Effects

If you think you have a substance use disorder, speak to your healthcare provider. They have screening tools and can refer you to treatment or other services if needed. A return to drug use is an indication that a person should speak to their healthcare provider about resuming or modifying their treatment plan. Addiction treatment can also be initiated in other settings including emergency departments (for instance, after a drug overdose) and in criminal justice settings.

Fostering the Next Generation of Addiction Scientists

• NIDA supports research tracking the emergence of new drugs into the unregulated drug supply, including via the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), collaboration with other researchers and partners around the world.
• And if their enthusiastic reception was any indication, it appears that the NIH is primed to start anew on research on molecules, receptors, and neural systems that mediate the actions of psychedelic drugs.
• Various types of individual, group, and family counseling or psychotherapy (sometimes called behavioral therapies), are the most common treatments for substance use disorders.
• Previous research showed that modification of a psychedelic drug called N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) could reduce its hallucinogenic potential while retaining its ability to promote plasticity.
• NIDA conducts research on specific emerging drugs through its Designer Drug Research Unit and through support for the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), which detects early signals of potential drug epidemics.

There is also the risk of misidentifying mushrooms and taking a toxic mushroom instead of one containing psilocybin.16  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention (CDC), some commercial products such as candies marketed as containing psilocybin have also been found to psychedelic and dissociative drugs national institute on drug abuse nida contain toxic chemicals and have caused severe illness. Learn about NIDA-supported research and cross-agency research activities on drug use and addiction. Joking that his opinion was his own and should be subject to editorial review, he speculated that ketamine helped relaunch psychedelic medicine by defining a pathway for other high-risk, high-reward research. Fruit bodies of the hallucinogenic mushroom Psilocybe semilanceata, which produces psilocybin and other psychoactive compounds. More than 60 NIH researchers representing multiple institutes, disciplines, and generations tuned in on January 24, 2023, for the inaugural meeting of the Psychedelic Science and Medicine Interest Group.

Substance Use Disorders

The institute’s portfolio includes research in basic, clinical, and translational sciences. NIDA does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services. NIDA also does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals for specific individuals or situations. You may not use NIDA publications in a manner that has the appearance of such information.

Careers at NIH: Navigating USAJobs as an Academic Scientist

Federal funding on psychedelics would remain dry for 50 years, until 2021 when Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) was awarded a nearly $4 million NIH grant to investigate the potential effects of psilocybin on tobacco addiction. This study had followed a slow but steady resurgence in research with psychedelics in the preceding two decades on major depression, cancer-related existential distress, and substance-use disorders, funded mostly by philanthropy. Past-year use of cannabis and hallucinogens stayed at historically high levels in 2023 among adults aged 19 to 30 and 35 to 50, according to the latest findings from the Monitoring the Future survey. In contrast, past-year use of cigarettes remained at historically low levels in both adult groups. Past-month and daily alcohol use continued a decade-long decline among those 19 to 30 years old, with binge drinking reaching all-time lows.

They may have a different sense of self, feeling that they have no personal boundaries and are one with the universe—what some researchers call “oceanic self-boundlessness”.4,6  This experience can be blissful, but it may also be frightening, and cause fear or panic. For the first time in 2023, 19- to 30-year-old female respondents reported a higher prevalence of past-year cannabis use than male respondents in the same age group, reflecting a reversal of the gap between sexes. Conversely, male respondents 35 to 50 years old maintained a higher prevalence of past-year cannabis use than female respondents of the same age group, consistent with what’s been observed for the past decade. This video for middle school students describes how synthetic cannabinoids, called K2 or Spice, affect the brain and the body. Check out the Mind Matters Series with other drugs and the body related videos and other teaching tools. NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow explains why we study teen drug use and shares a message to parents & teen influencers.