Move over, shrooms: Americans are most curious about this psychedelic

A study of search terms shows that Americans search most for DMT, a psychedelic commonly used in ayahuasca.

July 10, 2024

DMT, which stands for dimethyltryptamine, is commonly brewed in ayahuasca. It provides a brief, intense psychedelic trip. François Delonnay/Archivo Centro Takiwasi/CC BY-SA 4.0

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Weed has been legal in Arizona since 2020, and with the state backing studies into psilocybin mushrooms, shrooms may be on their way.

But a new study suggests Americans are on to something else. Mushroom spores company SporesMD "analyzed more than 900 search terms related to psychedelics," according to a press release, and found that the most common associated search term in the United States is "DMT."

That stands for dimethyltryptamine — technically N,N-Dimethyltryptamine — and it's a chemical found mainly in some South American plants. When vaporized, smoked or brewed into ayahuasca, it provides a "brief but intense visual and auditory hallucinogenic experience," according to Medical News Today. It's been called the "spirit molecule" and, because its effects last for 20 to 30 minutes, "the businessman's trip."

People have been using DMT in spiritual ceremonies for centuries. It's classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S., meaning it's illegal for recreational use, but courts have consistently granted exceptions for its use in religious contexts. So, though you can find pot everywhere, and while states such as Colorado and Oregon have decriminalized psilocybin, don't expect DMT to be widely available anytime soon.

Here are the top 10 psychedelic-related search terms SporeMD found. Though DMT takes the top spot, the rest of the list is dominated by terms connected to much more common drugs, such as magic mushrooms and ketamine.

1. DMT — 214,583 average monthly searches
2. Psilocybin — 177,750
3. What is ketamine — 177,208
4. Shrooms — 174,500
5. Psychedelics — 138,833
6. Ketamine therapy — 113,167
7. Magic mushrooms — 98,625
8. Is ketamine an opioid — 60,433
9. Psilocybe cubensis — 60,133
10. Microdose — 54,625

The company rated Arizona 14th among states most interested in psychedelics, with 1,099 monthly psychedelic-related searches per 100,000 residents.

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Zach Buchanan has been the news editor for the Phoenix New Times since April 2024. He's worked as a journalist in Phoenix for more than a decade, and is an alum of both The Athletic and the Arizona Republic. He's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and has taught as an associate professor at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Zach Buchanan

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