Report Card Arrives for Oregon's Legal Magic Mushrooms

Oregon's experiment with legal, supervised psilocybin just got its first big real-world report card—and it's largely positive, with caveats. NPR reports on a new study of nearly 350 adults who took magic mushrooms at licensed centers under the state's nonmedical program, the first of its kind in the US. Most participants called the experience helpful; more than half put it among the most meaningful events of their lives. Serious bad reactions were rare, and outside experts told NPR the overall safety profile looks comparable to other psychiatric interventions, despite being outside a traditional medical setting.

The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open and led by Dr. Todd Korthuis of Oregon Health & Science University, also found that over half of participants reported improved mental health symptoms, though the study lacked a control group. "They experienced decreases in depression and anxiety and PTSD symptoms of about 70%, and improvements in mental wellbeing overall and life satisfaction—about 25%," Korthuis tells Oregon Public Broadcasting. Just four participants had "serious adverse reactions" and six later described new thoughts of death or suicide. Critics note the sample was small, affluent, and not very diverse, limiting how far the results can be stretched.