Nearly 10 million American adults microdosed psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD or MDMA in 2025, according to a new analysis.

The results of the RAND Corporation survey indicate that microdosing—which involves ingesting a small amount of a drug to improve mood and well-being without experiencing hallucinations or a full-scale trip—is a popular practice in the U.S.

“There is an emerging discussion about the effects of microdosing on creativity, well-being and mental health, but until now little was known about how common it is,” Michelle Priest, a RAND researcher who served as lead author of the new report, said in a press release on Wednesday. “Our findings suggest that for those who use psychedelics, taking small doses is a big deal.”

More than two-thirds (69 percent) of adults who used psilocybin in the last year said they microdosed at least once. Among MDMA consumers, 65 percent microdosed in the last year and 59 percent of LSD users did so.

Overall, RAND estimated that approximately 3.7 percent of U.S. adults—or 9.55 million people—microdosed psilocybin, MDMA and/or LSD in 2025.

The RAND paper also looks at psychedelics use more broadly, beyond microdosing—finding that the five most commonly used psychedelics were psilocybin (11 million adults), MDMA (4.7 million), Amanita muscaria mushrooms (3.5 million), ketamine (3.3 million) and LSD (3 million).

Microdosing—taking a very small dose without intending to alter one’s state of consciousness—is common among people who use psychedelics.https://t.co/yt8Pl6ymG1

— RAND (@RANDCorporation) January 21, 2026

“I was not surprised to see psilocybin mushrooms at the top of the list,” Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and a coauthor of the study, said. “But I was a bit surprised to see another mushroom, Amanita muscaria, so high on the list.”

The new results are a follow-up to an earlier report RAND issued in 2024 that made the case that “now is the time” for federal policymakers to decide how to regulate psilocybin and other psychedelic substances.

Despite federal prohibition, that report noted, since 2019 more than two dozen localities have deprioritized the enforcement of laws around psychedelics, “generally making it a low or the lowest priority for law enforcement officials.” Voters in Oregon have also legalized supervised use of psilocybin, while Colorado voters legalized not only facilitated psilocybin use but also personal possession and production of psilocybin, DMT, non-peyote mescaline and other psychedelics.

“Now is the time for federal policymakers to decide what they want these supply models to look like and to start taking action,” the RAND report says. “Or, if they prefer a patchwork of state policies—possibly including those that allow for commercial supply and promotion—they can do nothing and just watch the industry grow.”

“If that happens,” it adds, “it can be difficult to make major changes to supply or regulations, but that will depend on the size and political power of the industry that has taken root.”

The new data released this week are based on survey interviews of 10,122 U.S. adults from September 9 through October 1, 2025, with a margin of error of ±1.33 percentage points.

The RAND Corporation, which is funded in large part by the U.S. government, is a nonprofit think tank and public consulting firm that’s helped advise policymakers on various issues. In 2021, for example, it released a government-funded report concluding that past cannabis use had relatively little impact on U.S. Army recruits’ overall performance.

Researchers at RAND also contributed to a 2018 report that found that past-month marijuana consumption decreased by a small but statistically significant amount among 8th and 10th grade students in Washington State following legalization there.

Image courtesy of CostaPPR.