Magic mushroom seizures by law enforcement skyrocketed in Colorado and across the country from 2017 to 2022, according to a federally funded study released Tuesday.
Why it matters: The surge shows that despite increasing efforts to decriminalize psychedelic fungi, they remain the target of police enforcement because they’re illegal under federal law.
By the numbers: Colorado ranked fifth among states with confiscations, with 221 during that stretch — far below Ohio, which had the highest amount at 395.
- The study’s time frame includes periods before Denver became the first city to decriminalize mushrooms in 2019, and right as Colorado voters decided in 2022 to legalize them.
Yes, but: Magic mushrooms are garnering an increasingly positive mainstream appeal in Colorado .
Zoom out: Nationally, law enforcement recorded 1,396 psilocybin mushroom seizures in 2022, up from 402 in 2017, the study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found.
- The total weight of magic mushrooms seized by law enforcement rose from 498 pounds in 2017 to 1,861 in 2022. By volume, Colorado ranked seventh
- States in the Midwest and West accounted for the most confiscations in the country, 36% and 34% respectively.