Risks of psychedelic use aren’t widely known. A Colorado campaign hopes to change that

When Liam Kelly first became interested in psychedelics as a teenager, they did so in a self-described “nerdy” way. Kelly, who uses nonbinary pronouns, would deeply research the drugs online to learn about their various effects and other people’s experiences. By the time they began attending college in Vermont, they were using LSD once every couple of weeks.

But no level of prior experience could have prepared Kelly for what happened one night during their first semester when, inexplicably, the drugs gave them what they described as an “inescapable sense of cosmic death.” Kelly became paranoid, had delusions, punched a car windshield, and charged a police officer while under the influence. They were restrained by law enforcement and later transferred to a hospital where they could safely come down.

Looking back, Kelly describes the incident as though their mind was “creating a horror show based on my own worst fears.” The 26-year-old is now sharing their story as part of a campaign to help spotlight some of the very real, if often underreported, physical, medical, legal or longer-term effects of ingesting hallucinogenic drugs.

“Being in that kind of a headspace is extremely dangerous, especially to the person who is tripping because you’re so out of it,” Kelly said. “Psychedelics are very personal and a lot of people don’t necessarily understand that every single trip is going to be its own unique experience.”

Psychedelics like psilocybin have been heralded for their potential to help with debilitating mental health issues, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. So much so that several states, including Colorado, Oregon and New Mexico, have passed laws to allow the public legal access to these otherwise illicit drugs.

While many people have reportedly experienced life-changing benefits from psychedelics, others have endured psychological damage for days or even years following a trip. The risks of these drugs are not broadly understood, but a new public health campaign wants to change that by providing a more complete view of the effects, both positive and negative, of psychedelic use.

The campaign, called Before You Trip, seeks to educate psychedelic-curious young adults, starting in Colorado, with a mix of social media ads, Instagram influencer content, and a website with drug information and harm reduction resources. The goal is to encourage Gen Z to “pause, learn and reflect” before using so they can make informed choices and experiment safely.

Denver, Boulder and Aspen are serving as the test markets for this pilot campaign, which launched on May 7 and targets locals ages 18 to 28. Its cast of influencers run the gamut from musicians and podcasters to outdoor adventurers and drag queens, all of whom have a local following.

Before You Trip was developed by the nonprofit Coalition for Psychedelic Safety and Education (CPSE), which is dedicated to addressing the need for accurate, nuanced and science-based information in this burgeoning space. The organization raised $541,000 for the campaign and worked with leading psychedelic scientists to present the latest available research on its website, which it plans to update as new data becomes available.

Donors include prominent names in psychedelic circles, including author Michael Pollan, Dr. Bronner’s Soap and businessman Austin Hearst, who backed Colorado’s initiative to legalize psilocybin therapy. The Before You Trip steering committee also features esteemed researchers in the space, such as Dr. Rick Strassman, author of “The Psychedelic Handbook”; harm reduction expert Marsha Rosenbaum; and Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, director of Stanford University’s REACH Lab.

Before You Trip is expected to roll out in other markets later this year. But Colorado is an ideal starting point, both because psychedelics are legal here and because the Front Range is home to a large university population, said Kristin Nash, co-founder of CPSE.

“We know that young people are already making the decision to use and engage with these substances. We also know that ‘just say no’ approaches turn young people off to the message, and to be fair, we also know a lot of people do get benefit from these,” Nash said. “We need to arm them with the best information we have around risk, contradictions and harm reduction strategies.”

As laws and public perception have shifted, so too have rates of use, said Dr. Andrew Monte, medical director of Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, which recently published a study tracking trends in psilocybin consumption.

“What we know is that as the availability of a drug increases, use increases as well. And then subsequently, unfortunately, the frequency of adverse events also increases,” Monte said during a recent webinar.

In 2023, about 31.3 million Americans, or 12.1% of the population, reported having tried psilocybin at least once during their lifetimes, according to the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety’s study. That’s up from 25 million in 2019, when Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize it. Adults with health conditions like anxiety, depression and chronic pain were more likely to use the drug, the report stated.

The number of people who reported using psilocybin in the last year has also climbed. About 1.7 million adults ages 18 to 29 reported using the drug in the past year when surveyed in 2023, up 44% from 2019.

Researchers studying psilocybin, the compound found in “magic mushrooms,” assert that it is non-addictive and physiologically non-toxic, meaning it carries a low risk of overdose. But research into how psychedelics can cause harm psychologically or emotionally is in its infancy.

A 2023 study found that one in 10 psychedelics users (8.9%) reported having functional impairment lasting more than a day after a bad trip. Notably, 2.6% of those individuals reported seeking medical, psychiatric, or psychological help.

The number of fatalities related to psychedelics may also be underreported due to a lack of data tracking and because psychedelics can have unintended consequences.

Nash and CPSE co-founder, Susan Sagy, learned this firsthand.

In the spring of 2020, Nash’s son Will died while under the influence of psilocybin. The soon-to-be college grad and his friends were at home on a Friday night, but when things took a turn for the worse, Nash said, neither the kids nor campus security knew how to effectively handle the situation.

Will entered a state of psychosis, and in an effort to quench his thirst, accidentally grabbed a jar of protein powder. He asphyxiated before medical help arrived.

“There were so many moments that could have gone differently, but didn’t because of a lack of understanding,” Nash said. “When I sort of map all those points out, to me it’s like, on the individual level, on the cultural level, on the first responder level, we need education.”

Sagy also lost her child in 2022 after what she described as a “profoundly distressing” experience with psilocybin. Sagy said her 20-year-old had shared plans to try the substance upon turning 21, when it would be legal to do so in Oakland, where they lived. Sagy did her own research and only found information about the perceived benefits – nothing that raised concern.

After trying a small dose, Sagy’s child increased to several grams for a solo trip. Though she didn’t share the specifics of the incident, the aftermath came at the highest price.

“What I want (people) to know is that they can have an experience that will last longer than the actual trip itself,” Sagy said.

Both Nash’s and Sagy’s children were 21 years old, the legal age for possession, use and access to psychedelic-assisted therapy in Colorado.

“I still have the bag of mushrooms that my child bought in Oakland. There were no warnings in it, no information on what could go wrong, no number to call if things turned scary,” Sagy said. “We get more guidance from a bottle of aspirin.”

That’s why guidance is core to the mission of the Before You Trip campaign, which aims to bridge the gap between research and harm reduction education. On social media, influencers like “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” winner Symone and travel content creator Charlie Kernkamp engage their followers to think critically about how every drug is different and may hit differently depending on the person and how they feel that day.

When people reach the website, they find robust information about specific drugs, their researched benefits, documented harms and personal characteristics that may pose additional risks. It also includes resources for anyone who may be in crisis.

Importantly, the website encourages young adults to reflect by asking six questions that could impact how they experience various substances. For example, what’s driving your interest? How do you process uncertainty? And do you know about set, setting and support?

A post shared by Charlie Kernkamp (@charlie.treks)

Asking these questions is critical, said Jules Evans, director of The Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project and a member of the Before You Trip steering committee.

Since 2022, Evans’ organization has been a leader in collecting and conducting research related to the harms caused by psychedelic use. Its work was inspired by Evans’ own experience as a teenager, when he had a bad trip that caused post-traumatic stress disorder. The drugs caused “this feeling of having broken my brain,” Evans said. It took him more than five years to overcome the paranoia, panic attacks, social anxiety and diminished self-confidence that stemmed from that incident.

One thing Evans has learned from speaking with hundreds of people who have encountered unsettling trips is that psychedelics are wildly unpredictable. For every positive effect that’s been reported, Evans has learned of people who have experienced the opposite.

“They can help you sleep better, or they can make you an insomniac. They can make you feel incredibly connected to other people, or they can make you feel incredibly disconnected,” he said. “You pretty much know what Valium does. Psychedelics can do like 1,000 different things, they can amplify a 1,000 different directions. That’s one of the challenges.”

Evans is encouraged that his research has inspired folks in the psychedelics community to take the risks more seriously, especially because most use is still happening underground, where safety is not a guarantee.

That’s also why Kelly, from Denver, believes the Before You Trip campaign can help take the guesswork out of finding reliable information about psychedelics on the internet, where even seasoned searchers can have trouble sifting through the noise.

“I hope that we can avoid people falling into these really bad experiences, even just a percentage,” Kelly said. “I think having this information be more pervasive will save lives, and at the very least avoid these extremely traumatic experiences that turn people off to psychedelics.”

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