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

This survey study used data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n=211,549) in order to assess the relationships between the use of classic psychedelics and past-year arrests for various crimes. It finds that the use of classic psychedelics is associated with lowered odds of criminal arrests.

Abstract

“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.

Authors: Grant M. Jones & Matthew K. Nock

Summary

The United States has the largest prison population in the world and the highest per capita prison rate. Incarceration costs the United States $80 billion in direct expenditures per year and may be as high as $1.2 trillion dollars once social costs are accounted for.

Studies examining psychedelics have linked these compounds to reduced criminality. These studies have found that psychedelic use is associated with lowered odds of noncompliance with legal requirements, decreased odds of intimate partner violence, and increased emotion regulation.

The US prison population is large and expensive.

This study sought to test the association between classic psychedelic compounds and crime arrests within the last 5 years of data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Psilocybin was hypothesized to be the most strongly related to reduced odds of criminal outcomes.

Sample

Data were collected from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a yearly survey that uses a weighted, complex survey design and employs a computer-assisted self-interviewing paradigm.

We analyzed the last 5 years of available NSDUH Data for U.S. adult participants aged 18 and older. The validity of NSDUH self-report measures has been tested and demonstrated in ancillary analyses.

Measures

Lifetime use of classic psychedelic substances, other illicit substances, and legal/medicinal substances of misuse was associated with past year arrest outcomes for four different types of crime.

In line with previous population-based research on this topic, we report on and statistically control for the following covariates within our analyses: sex, age, race, educational attainment, self-reported engagement in risky behavior, annual household income, and marital status.

Data analyses

We estimated 11 multivariable logistic regression models to test the unique associations between the aforementioned substances and the 11 past year arrest variables (yes/no) as our outcomes: larceny, motor vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, fraud/possession of stolen goods/vandalism, simple assault/battery, serious violent offense, drug sale/possession, public drunkenness, DUI, miscellaneous crimes.

Prevalence

We analyzed the number of people arrested for larceny, motor vehicle theft, robbery, burglary, fraud, simple assault/battery, serious violence, drug possession/sale, public intoxication, DUI, and miscellaneous crimes.

Associations between substance use and crime arrests

Tables 2 – 5 detail the results of 11 logistic regression models predicting arrest for past year property crimes, violent crimes, alcohol and substance related crimes, and miscellaneous crimes. Psilocybin use was associated with lowered odds of three of five property crimes, both violent crimes, one alcohol and substance related crime, and miscellaneous crimes.

Discussion

This study tested whether individual classic psychedelic compounds (psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, peyote) are associated with lowered odds of criminal outcomes.

Results showed that individuals with a lifetime history of psilocybin use reported significantly lowered odds of seven of the 11 crime arrest outcomes, and that the effect was strongest for psilocybin. Other classic psychedelics showed weaker associations with crime arrests.

This study found that peyote and mescaline are associated with lowered odds of criminal outcomes, including motor vehicle theft and DUI, as well as drug sale/possession. There are very few studies exploring the potentially salutary effects of these specific compounds in the population more broadly.

This study found no evidence that psilocybin, mescaline, or peyote reduces crime, and third variable factors such as personality factors, liberal political leanings, and the criminal justice system may have influenced the results.

The data may not control for temporality, and reverse causal explanations are also possible, but it is unlikely that the observed findings are the result of crime arrests temporally predicting substance use.

Although this study has limitations, it provides evidence that psychedelic use is associated with a decreased risk of criminal arrest.

We wish to reiterate that great care should be taken when considering testing these compounds within incarcerated or vulnerable populations, as minority populations have historically been subject to mistreatment and abuse within medical research.

Psilocybin and potentially other classic psychedelic substances may affect the mental health conditions that often underlie criminal behavior. These substances have been found to alleviate a host of mental health disorders, including mood disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma-related disorders.

Many mental health disorders found in criminal offenders may be alleviated by psychedelics, and trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder rates are high in the prison population. In addition, existing laws dictate how actions and behaviors are criminalized, and thus how psychedelics impact criminal behavior.

This study suggests that psilocybin, mescaline, and peyote may reduce criminal behavior, and that the Schedule 1 designation of these compounds should be reviewed and potentially updated to facilitate further investigation into these compounds.

Conclusion

This study revealed an association between classic psychedelics and reduced odds of criminal arrests. Further research is needed to determine the causal link between these compounds and reduced criminal behavior.