The world continues to reexamine what people previously claimed as harmful drugs, like cannabis and psychedelics. Recently, some studies have begun looking into the potential benefits of these ‘harmful’ drugs. A study looked into some potential benefits of psychedelic substances. Specifically, the study looked into the effects of adult psychedelic microdosers themselves.

Study

For this study, researchers studied a collection of 4,050 self-selected microdosers and 4,653 non-microdosers. With these individuals, researchers described microdosing practices, motivations, and mental health to each and had them respond to a series of questions over an extended period of time through a mobile app.

Results

Among the sampled subjects, the researchers discovered psilocybin was the most commonly microdosed substance, making up around 85 percent. Researchers also found diverse microdose practices regarding dosage, frequency, and the practice of stacking. Stacking involves combining psilocybin with non-psychedelic substances. Among several reported mental health issues, microdosers reported lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. These occurred across all genders. When asked why they decided to microdose psychedelics, several subjects reported health and wellness improvement as reasons for their use.

After examining the results, researchers found some perceived mental health benefits with microdosers. Specifically, they found that subjects reported a lessening in depression, PTSD/trauma, and tobacco dependence. Researchers also reported microdosers were less likely to frequently use alcohol. In fact, they were more likely to abstain from alcohol entirely along with tobacco. 

Discussion

These results show what people previously condemned as “harmful drugs” could, in fact, provide health benefits. This is why psychedelics and cannabis supporters push for further studies to look into the potential health benefits. In fact, activists hope these studies will push for change in legislation surrounding psychedelics and cannabis.

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