A real-world study of Oregon's nonmedical psilocybin program shows promise

New research on the experiences of people who took magic mushrooms through Oregon's homegrown psychedelic industry — the first program of its kind in the U.S. — is offering a largely favorable picture.

The study, based on almost 350 people who took the drug at state-licensed centers, is the most rigorous analysis yet of the real-world implications of regulated psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.

Most of the participants described their trip as beneficial, and more than half ranked it among the most meaningful experiences of their lives. Meanwhile, the data suggests the program was overall quite safe.

Only a very small number had "serious adverse reactions," according to the analysis published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open .

Dr. Todd Korthuis , who led the research team based at Oregon Health & Science University, said that initially, even he was skeptical about dosing people with psilocybin outside of a tightly controlled medical setting.

"The data has swayed me," he told NPR. "These results are very reassuring."

Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living? Subscribe to NPR's Health newsletter .

Much of the recent momentum around psychedelics has centered on running drug development trials, with the aim of eventually winning approval from the Food and Drug Administration so that psilocybin, LSD and other substances can be used to treat mental health conditions.