Young children's psilocybin product ingestions reported to poison centers rose sharply from 2018 to 2024

What the study found

Uskovich and colleagues analyzed National Poison Data System (NPDS) records of unintentional recreational drug ingestions by children under 6 from 2000 to 2024: 41,612 in all, with a major effect in 5.0% and six deaths across all drugs. Cannabinoids made up 84.7% of the ingestions.¹

Psilocybin and psilocin-containing mushrooms and processed products accounted for 1,131 of the ingestions (2.7%). Their rate rose 1,466.7%, from 0.06 per 100,000 children in 2018 to 0.94 in 2024 (p<0.0001). Compared with all other substances, they were less likely to involve a major effect (rate ratio 0.10; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.24) or a critical care admission (rate ratio 0.25).¹ The authors caution that processed mushroom products are often coded as psilocybin in NPDS, which "may lead to an over-estimation of psilocybin exposures".¹

What the national annual reports show

The NPDS annual report for 2024 lists 1,389 single-substance exposures to hallucinogenic (psilocybin) mushrooms across all ages, 148 of them in children 5 and under; 29 had a major outcome and none died.² A separate code for processed psilocybin preparations, added in December 2023, logged 185 case mentions in 2024, 143 of them single-substance and 33 in children 5 and under; 5 had a major outcome and none died.^2,3 In 2023 the mushroom category recorded 198 single-substance exposures in children 5 and under.³ Poison center counts include only the cases someone reports, America's Poison Centers can't verify every report, and an exposure isn't necessarily a poisoning.²

Adults: a national survey

A 2025 online panel survey weighted to national estimates, published September 1, 2026, estimated that 3.1% of US adults, about 8.12 million people, used psilocybin in the past year. Among them, 6.2% reported worsening physical health, 4.7% worsening mental health and 16.2% health care use they attributed to psilocybin, while 51.2% reported improved mental health.⁴

Why it matters for products sold as mushrooms

Processed products such as chocolates and gummies now have their own poison center code, and their contents can differ from what the package says. In the Diamond Shruumz outbreak, FDA's tests found different compounds in different products, and FDA notes that even one flavor may vary (see our report on CDC's final findings).⁵ A milligram claim on such a package can't be checked by the person holding it, and a child who eats one is exposed to whatever it actually contains. Our guides on overdose and poisoning and getting help cover warning signs.

If a child may have eaten a mushroom product, Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 connects to the local poison center, 24/7, in over 100 languages.⁶ In an emergency, call 911.