Psilocybin may help with smoking cessation. A 2014 open-label pilot study1 investigated the impact of psilocybin treatment on tobacco cessation in 15 middle-aged individuals who smoked about a pack of cigarettes per day for a mean of 31 years and had an average of six previous quit attempts2 .
Participants in this study were treated with two to three doses of psilocybin ranging between 20mg and 30 mg along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). At six months, 80 percent of the participants indicated seven-day point prevalence abstinence, meaning they had not used tobacco in the prior seven days. The study explains that this is a significant level of potential efficacy compared to traditional cessation treatments—behavioral and pharmacological—which have success rates of less than 35 percent.
Study participants with biomarkers of smoking abstinence at six months also scored higher on the measure that rated psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences following their dosing session. They also had higher ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance after their psilocybin sessions3 .
This study suggests that this is a significant level of potential efficacy compared to traditional cessation treatments—behavioral and pharmacological—which have success rates of less than 35 percent. The study found 60 percent abstinence more than a year after psilocybin administration. The majority of those who stopped smoking later reported having mystical experiences during their encounter with psilocybin.
In a more recent 2016 follow-up to this study, new data from the earlier study was revealed. These data showed that psilocybin-assisted therapy produced higher abstinence rates after six months compared with other smoking cessation medications or CBT alone4 . Additionally, at 12 months post-intervention, 67 percent of participants were smoking abstinent. Approximately 87 percent of subjects reported that during the dosing session(s) in the original study, their experiences were among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant of their lives.
As the study notes, “In controlled studies, the most effective smoking cessation medications typically demonstrate less than 31 percent abstinence at 12 months post-treatment whereas the present study found 60 percent abstinence more than a year after psilocybin administration.”
In a qualitative analysis of participant accounts from the 2014 pilot study, findings illustrated the potential power of combining talk therapy and psilocybin. Relative to the therapy component, the researchers state that “preparatory counseling, strong rapport with the study team, and a sense of momentum, once engaged in the study treatment, were perceived as vital additional factors in achieving abstinence.”
Researchers in this study also observed that “participants emphasized that the content of psilocybin experiences overshadowed any short-term withdrawal symptoms.” They further noted that “Participants reported gaining vivid insights into self-identity and reasons for smoking from their psilocybin sessions. Experiences of interconnectedness, awe, and curiosity persisted beyond the duration of acute drug effects.” 5