This Week’s Focus: Psilocybin
This week’s briefing focuses on psilocybin, a chemical in certain types of fresh or dried mushrooms, also known as shrooms or magic mushrooms. The mushrooms cause behavioral changes and changes in how a person perceives reality; they may see colors, shapes, or scenes that aren’t really there.
Psilocybin is currently classified as a Schedule I Substance which means it has been deemed to have a high potential for abuse with no currently accepted medical use. The substance has been widely reported by our Rapid Street Reporting participants; in fact, shrooms has been the 2nd or 3rd most common substance reported in nearly every city we have been in the past three years. And as you will see from other data reported here, shroom use has increased over the past several years.
The briefing this week includes our latest biospatial report, a special report from our Rapid Street Reporting data, and other publications on psilocybin. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.
NDEWS ORIGINAL CONTENT
NDEWS Special Report: EMS encounters for nonfatal psilocybin-related overdoses in the US
Out of 530 EMS encounters for nonfatal drug-related overdoses involving psilocybin from January 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025, the data for top five counties for EMS encounters were not suppressed (<10 encounters) while the remaining were suppressed. The data shows that all the top five counties were located in the Western region. NDEWS will continue to monitor the situation for overdoses to this drug.
Special Rapid Street Report: Past 12-Month Use of Psilocybin/Shrooms, 2021-2025
Rapid Street Reporting is a national venue-intercept study funded by NDEWS. Data collection occurs during weekend visits to sentinel sites and hotspots. The anonymous survey takes about 5-10 minutes; it assesses substance use and drug trends, covering past 12-month use, last month of use, route and form of administration, adverse effects experienced, and knowledge of any new drugs or drug trends. Data collection started in 2021; as of today, we have made 34 visits.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Journal of american emergency physicians
US poison center encounters for psilocybin-related exposures: 2013-2022
A recently published study in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open by Montoy et al. examined encounters reported to poison centers (PCs) regarding exposure to psilocybin, other psychedelic substances, and toxic plants and mushrooms from 2013 to 2022. The study reported that psilocybin-related exposures increased 3-fold from 477 in 2013 to 1,441 in 2022. The authors noted that although the number of encounters remained low, this trend could continue as psilocybin use increases.
jama network open
Active constituents of psilocybin mushroom edibles
A recently published research letter in JAMA Network Open by van Breemen et al. investigated the chemical composition of unregulated “magic mushroom” edibles sold in Portland, Oregon. The study consisted of 12 consumer products, which included 11 gummies and one chocolate. Testing indicated that none of the 12 tested products contained psilocybin; however, adulterants and undeclared compounds, such as kava, caffeine, cannabinoids, and synthetic psychoactive tryptamines, were common. The authors stated that further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying WLP and the increased need for harm reduction strategies and awareness among consumers and healthcare providers.
Toxicon
“Wood-lover paralysis”: Describing a toxidrome with symptoms of weakness caused by some lignicolous “wood-loving” Psilocybe mushrooms
A recently published study in Toxicon by Beck et al. investigated wood-lover paralysis (WLP), a toxidrome characterized by transient muscle weakness following the consumption of certain lignicolous psilocybe mushrooms. A retrospective online survey of 392 participants conducted in 2020 found that 42.1% of respondents reported experiencing WLP. Onset typically occurred within four hours after ingestion, and respondents reported experiencing impaired mobility, difficulties swallowing, and breathing. The authors stated that further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying WLP and the increased need for harm reduction strategies and awareness among consumers and healthcare providers.
Join the UF T32 Training Program in Substance Abuse and Public Health as a Pre or Postdoc! Work with the NDEWS Team!
Are you committed to advancing the science of substance use and public health? The University of Florida’s NIDA-funded T32 Training Program offers predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars an exceptional opportunity to launch impactful research careers focused on NDEWS!
What We Offer:
– Interdisciplinary training at the intersection of addiction science, epidemiology, and surveillance
– Mentorship from leading UF faculty in epidemiology, public health, psychology, medicine, and more
– Hands-on research with landmark and important NIH-funded projects and access to rich data
– Career development support, including grant writing, publishing, and professional networking
– A collaborative, inclusive research community committed to reducing the burden of substance use
Eligibility:
– US citizens or permanent residents
– Interested in a PhD in Epidemiology, or early-stage postdoctoral fellows
– Demonstrated interest in substance use, addiction, or public health research
Location: Gainesville, Florida — a dynamic hub for scientific innovation with high quality of life and low cost of living.
UPCOMING WEBINARS & EVENTS
2025 American College of Medical Toxicology Psychedelics Seminar
📅 Dates: October 10 & 17, 2025
🕑 Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm ET
📍 Location: Online
ABOUT NDEWS
The NDEWS Weekly Briefing curates emerging data and findings from across the Early Warning Network, which includes three core components: our Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), comprised of national experts and federal partners; our Sentinel Site Directors (SSDs), who lead local surveillance in key geographic regions; and our Community-Based Health Experts, who provide on-the-ground insights from populations most impacted by drug trends. Together, these contributors generate timely, multidisciplinary and impactful information, ranging from peer-reviewed research findings to local surveillance data. These contributions inform public health and research communities.
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If you miss or want to learn more about NDEWS Original Content, you can find our archived content on the NDEWS website:
• NDEWS Hotspot Alerts using substance-related EMS data
• NDEWS Rapid Street Reporting (RSR) survey data reports
• NDEWS Web Monitoring Team Reddit Alerts
• NDEWS Sentinel Site Reports
• Previous issues of the NDEWS Weekly Briefings
The Weekly Briefing is a newsletter published each week by the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Coordinating Center, which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U01DA051126) to the University of Florida (MPI: Cottler (contact), Co-Is: Goldberger, Nixon, Striley), NYU Langone Health (MPI: Palamar), and Florida Atlantic University (Co-I: Barenholtz). Any item may be reproduced provided the source is acknowledged.