Hallucinogens Statistics and Trends

“Pink cocaine,” a new drug mixture, has arrived in Texas following distribution in major U.S. cities and Latin America. Despite the name, it seldom contains cocaine and is instead a risky mix of drugs like ketamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. The drug’s pink coloring is meant to attract users, but its unpredictable ingredients make it extremely dangerous.

According to a recent study, the use of hallucinogens among young people doubled between 2018 and 2021. The findings indicate a concerning shift in youth drug use trends with far more American adolescents, teens, and young adults experimenting with potent mind-altering hallucinogenic substances than in years prior.

Ketamine has been used recreationally in the U.S. for some time, but only recently have usage rates increased significantly, and only recently has the drug become a major drug of concern. Law enforcement offices are reporting spikes in ketamine busts and seizures, and hospitals are increasingly reporting ketamine chemicals in ER patients.

After trending up and down for decades, LSD use is at its highest level in many years. There are certain distinct causes for this rise—but are any of them valid? Are the effects of this new LSD experimentation likely to be positive or negative?

Newly published research into youth drug use trends indicates an alarming, unpredicted surge in hallucinogen use. Those who are now hooked will need help getting off such drugs. Further, understanding what prompted the surge will be crucial in preventing more young people from experimenting with mind-altering drugs.

If a drug has the potential to create mind-altering effects in those who use it, then that drug has the potential to cause harm. And while hallucinogenic drugs do not cause the high overdose rates or critical public health crises associated with other narcotics, such substances are still physically and mentally debilitating and overall quite harmful. This article aims to cover basic trends in usage and the statistics surrounding hallucinogen abuse in the United States.

Addiction is such a pervasive problem in America that one in eight Americans suffer from this problem. Grasping the extent of the problem is a vital first step to resolving it successfully.