Psilocybin use is associated with lowered odds of crime arrests in US adults: A replication and extension

Background: The United States boasts the largest prison population in the world, conferring significant direct and indirect costs (e.g. lost wages for the incarcerated, increased morbidity/mortality, etc.) to society. Recidivism rates are high for the imprisoned and most interventions to reduce criminality are minimally effective. Thus, in addition to the need for criminal justice reform, there is a need to better understand factors linked to lowered criminal behaviour.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between the use of classic psychedelic substances (psilocybin, LSD, peyote, and mescaline) and past-year arrests for various crimes (i.e. property, violence, alcohol and substance use, miscellaneous crimes).Methods: This study used nationally representative data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (2015-2019) (N = 211,549) to test the aforementioned associations.Results: Lifetime psilocybin use was associated with lowered odds of seven of 11 past year arrest variables (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) range = 0.30-0.73). Peyote was associated with reduced odds of motor vehicle theft (aOR = 0.30) and driving under the influence (aOR = 0.52), and mescaline was associated with reduced odds of drug possession/sale (aOR = 0.51). Virtually all other substances either shared no relationship to our outcomes or conferred higher odds of arrest.Conclusion: This study suggests that the use of classic psychedelic substances is associated with lowered odds of criminal arrests. Future research should explore whether causal factors and/or third variable factors (e.g. personality, political orientation) underlie the relationship between classic psychedelic use and reduced criminal behaviour.