What is psilocybin? Who abuses psilocybin?

In addition to the risks associated

with ingestion of psilocybin, individuals
Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic sub- Psilocybin mushrooms are popular at who seek to abuse psilocybin mush-
stance obtained from certain types of raves, clubs and, increasingly, on rooms also risk poisoning if one of the
mushrooms that are indigenous to college campuses and generally are many varieties of poisonous mush-
tropical and subtropical regions of abused by teenagers and young adults. rooms is incorrectly identified as a
South America, Mexico, and the It is difficult to gauge the extent of psilocybin mushroom.
United States. These mushrooms psilocybin use in the United States
typically contain 0.2 to 0.4 percent because most data sources that quan-
psilocybin and a trace amount of tify drug use exclude psilocybin. The
What is psilocybin called?
psilocyn, another hallucinogenic sub- Monitoring the Future Survey, con- The most common names for
stance. Both psilocybin and psilocyn ducted by the University of Michigan, psilocybin are magic mushroom,
can be produced synthetically, but law does reveal that 9.2 percent of high mushroom, and shrooms. (Please
enforcement reporting currently does school seniors in the United States see the Street Terms text box for
not indicate that this is occurring. used hallucinogens other than LSD—a additional names.)
category that includes psilocybin—at
What does psilocybin look like? least once in their lifetime. Two percent
of high school seniors used hallucino-
Mushrooms containing psilocybin gens other than LSD in the past month.
are available fresh or dried and have
long, slender stems topped by caps Street Terms for Psilocybin
with dark gills on the underside.
What are the risks?
Boomers
Fresh mushrooms have white or Use of psilocybin is associated with Flower flipping
whitish-gray stems; the caps are dark negative physical and psychological (MDMA used with psilocybin)
brown around the edges and light consequences. The physical effects,
God’s flesh
brown or white in the center. Dried which appear within 20 minutes of
mushrooms are generally rusty brown ingestion and last approximately 6 Hippieflip
with isolated areas of off-white. hours, include nausea, vomiting, mus- (MDMA used with psilocybin)
cle weakness, drowsiness, and lack of Hombrecitos
How is it abused? coordination. While there is no evidence Las mujercitas
that users may become physically Little smoke
Psilocybin mushrooms are ingested dependent on psilocybin, tolerance for Mexican mushrooms
orally. They may be brewed as a tea or the drug does develop when it is Musk
added to other foods to mask their ingested continuously over a short
bitter flavor. Some users coat the Sacred mushroom
period of time.
mushrooms with chocolate—this both Silly putty
masks the flavor and disguises the The psychological consequences of Simple simon
mushrooms as candy. Once the mush- psilocybin use include hallucinations
rooms are ingested, the body breaks and an inability to discern fantasy from
down the psilocybin to produce reality. Panic reactions and psychosis
psilocyn. also may occur, particularly if a user
ingests a large dose.
 Other products of interest:
, Huffing—The Abuse of Inhalants
, Prescription Drug Abuse and Youth
, Drugs, Youth, and the Internet Psilocybin

Nebraska State Patrol

Fast Facts
illegal?
Is psilocybin Illegal?
Yes, psilocybin is illegal.
Psilocybin is a Schedule I sub-
stance under the Controlled
Substances Act. Schedule I drugs, For more information on illicit drugs
which include heroin and LSD, check out our web site at:
have a high potential for abuse and
serve no legitimate medical pur- www.usdoj.gov/ndic
pose in the United States. National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901-1622
Telephone: 814-532-4601
Check out Fast Facts on: FAX: 814-532-4690
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McLean, VA 22102-3840
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, Drug paraphernalia , OxyContin FAX: 703-556-7807
, DXM , PCP
Questions
NDIC publications are available on the following web sites:
, Foxy , Powdered cocaine
, Fry , Prescription drugs ADNET http://ndicosa

and
LEO home.leo.gov/lesig/ndic
, GHB and analogs , Ritalin RISS ndic.riss.net
, Heroin , Rohypnol INTERNET www.usdoj.gov/ndic
, Inhalants , Salvia divinorum
, Jimsonweed
, Ketamine
, Steroids
, Teens and drugs
Call 814-532-4541
to request NDIC products
Answers
, Khat , Triple C National Drug Intelligence Center
, LSD , Yaba a component of the
, Marijuana NDIC Product No. 2003-L0559-018 U.S. Department of Justice
082203

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