A new study led by Dr. Amrit Baral, an epidemiologist and medical doctor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has uncovered a surprising connection between the use of classic psychedelics and prostate cancer diagnoses in men aged 50 and older. The findings were published in Nature: Scientific Reports.
Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015-2019), the study analyzed responses from 19,460 U.S. men, representing over 50 million adults. It looked into the relationship between lifetime use of cannabis, classic psychedelics (including LSD, psilocybin, peyote, and mescaline), and prostate cancer diagnoses.
Key Findings
Men who exclusively used classic psychedelics had more than twice the odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer compared to those who didn’t use cannabis or psychedelics (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 2.62).
Among men aged 65 and older, those who used classic psychedelics had more than three times the odds of a prostate cancer diagnosis (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 3.60).
No association was found between cannabis-only use or the combined use of cannabis and psychedelics and prostate cancer.
While the study shows an association, it does not establish causality. Dr. Baral notes the importance of future research into the biological pathways that could explain these findings, especially considering the role of serotonergic and endocannabinoid systems in cancer.
“This is the first large-scale study to explore the relationship between classic psychedelics and prostate cancer in older adults,” said Dr. Baral. “As interest in psychedelics and cannabis grows, it is crucial to understand their long-term health effects, particularly for older populations at higher cancer risk.”
Why This Matters Now
As psychedelic therapies gain traction for treating conditions like depression and anxiety, and as cannabis becomes more common in cancer treatments, questions are emerging about the safety of these substances—especially for older adults. Dr. Baral stressed that while the study doesn’t suggest psychedelic use causes prostate cancer, it points to an unexpected link that warrants further investigation.
“This study highlights the need for long-term research and a deeper understanding of how and when these substances are used, particularly among older adults and prostate cancer patients,” he added.
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