The trend: While 60% of Americans would not be comfortable taking psychedelics to treat mental health conditions, 16% would be willing to do so in a medical facility under supervision of a healthcare professional, according to a November Ipsos survey published this month.

• An equal 28% share of Americans view psychedelics positively or negatively, while 44% have neutral or mixed opinions.
• 68% say their view of psychedelics has remained the same, but 21% have become more positive about them over time, per Ipsos.

Why it matters: General interest in psychedelic use is increasing, driven by consumer experimentation, investments, and a growing number of clinical trials aiming for FDA approval.

• More than 25 million US adults used 1 of 5 of the most popular psychedelic substances in the past year, according to a September RAND survey published this month.
• An estimated 11 million took psilocybin mushrooms, followed by 4.7 million who used MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly.
• Another 3.5 million used amanita muscaria mushrooms; 3.3 million took ketamine, and about 3 million used LSD in the past year, per RAND.
• Late stage clinical trials for at least six psychedelic candidates are aiming for FDA review and approval for at least one as soon as this year.

Implications for patients and drugmakers: Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato, or esketamine, used to treat treatment-resistant depression, is currently the only FDA-approved psychedelic medicine. However, growing interest and clinical trial activity suggest psychedelics could eventually form a more robust, although highly controlled, prescription drug class.

For patients, additional FDA approvals would help legitimize a new class of drugs and expand treatment options, but access would likely remain limited to supervised clinical settings.

For drugmakers, the psychedelic treatment opportunities come with elevated risks. Regulatory pathways remain uncertain, approval standards are high, and commercialization challenges persist—particularly as psychedelics are still closely associated with illegal drug use and stigma among much of the public.

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