Nearly 5 Million U.S. Veterans Have Used Psilocybin Mushrooms, LSD or MDMA; Veterans' Policy Preferences Differ by Psychedelic Substance

For Release

TuesdayJune 23, 2026

Nationally representative survey explores veterans' psychedelic use and attitudes as the federal government accelerates research into psychedelic-assisted therapies

An estimated 4.8 million U.S. veterans have used psilocybin mushrooms, LSD or MDMA in their lifetime, according to new RAND research examining veterans' psychedelic use and attitudes.

The report, the third in a series from the 2025 RAND Psychedelics Survey, also found that U.S. veterans drew clear distinctions between substances when it comes to policy. Although nearly a quarter of U.S. veterans supported the legal use of psilocybin mushrooms, support dropped substantially for the legal use of both LSD (11%) and MDMA (9%).