2016 to 2023 Saw No Increase in Hallucinogen-Related Emergency, Inpatient Care

MONDAY, Dec. 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- There has not been an increase in the need for emergency or inpatient care as a result of rising psychedelic use, according to a research letter published online Nov. 13 in JAMA Network Open.Jacob T. Steinle, M.D., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues examined trends in hallucinogen-related emergency department and inpatient admissions. The analysis included hallucinogen-related emergency or hospital admissions among individuals aged 16 to 64 years, identified from the Merative MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid databases (2016 to 2023).The researchers found that among approximately 1.35 million individuals with substance-related admissions from 2016 to 2023, 1.6 percent had at least one hallucinogen-related admission. Among the 15,420 individuals with hallucinogen-related admissions with at least six months of continuous enrollment preadmission, preadmission comorbidities included mood disorders (35.0 percent), anxiety disorders (29.2 percent), schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (14.7 percent), and non-nicotine substance-related disorders (18.9 percent). The monthly share of hallucinogen-related admissions ranged from 0.59 percent in January 2016 to 1.18 percent in January 2021. Alcohol- and opioid-related encounters dominated admissions throughout the study period. Models identified rising hallucinogen-related admissions until early 2020, followed by a decline through 2023."These findings add important context to other studies showing rises in hallucinogen use," coauthor Richard Grucza, Ph.D., from Saint Louis University, said in a statement. "Those increases don't seem to be contributing to rising emergency room visits, and if anything, alcohol and other drugs seem to be driving adverse consequences of psychedelic use."Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

2016 to 2023 Saw No Increase in Hallucinogen-Related Emergency, Inpatient Care

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