UC Berkeley Survey: Understanding Voter Attitudes Towards Psychedelic Legalization

It’s easy to say that support of psychedelic legalization is spreading when you’re surrounded by psychedelic enthusiasts, but how do you really know? These claims are often made because there is a visible increase in coverage from major media platforms and celebrities. However, that isn’t concrete data on what the American Voters really think about psychedelics. Last week, UC Berkeley released the results of its first-ever psychedelic survey, and it shows what people really think about psychedelics.

Overall, the results bode well for psychedelic legalization. However, that doesn’t mean that the whole country is ready to chow down on some mushrooms and explore new depths of their consciousness. Many voters who support the legalization of psychedelics for therapeutic, spiritual, and even recreational use are not interested in trying the mind-altering drugs themselves.

The report concludes: “The data suggests voters are open to policy change but also have significant reservations.” All the recent research into psychedelics for medical use is beginning to change social stigmas, but there is still a long way to go before an all-out psychedelic legalization in the US.  There are a ton of data points represented in the survey, and we’ve outlined some of the most important ones. They will help create a better understanding of the place that psychedelics currently hold in society. 

It is difficult to say whether awareness of psychedelics’ therapeutic benefits is growing or not since there is no previous data available. It is assumed that more people are hearing about psychedelics as a mental health treatment now than just a few years ago, based on a major increase in positive media coverage. However, there is no data tracking those changes.  

UC Berkeley plans to carry out this survey once a year to collect data on the changes over time. This is crucial data for the industry, which will allow us to track the shifts in public knowledge, perceptions, and voter tendencies of psychedelics over time. Despite the lack of previous data, this survey provides invaluable insight into the potential of the psychedelic industry in the US and will help carve out its path. 

One really interesting discovery that is shown in the data is that a majority of the people who support increased access to psychedelics through legislative changes don’t believe that they are good for society and that they are not “for people like me.” 

The project lead, Taylor West, explained: “For people who are interested in advocating for policy changes, these results could cut both ways. On the one hand, they imply that there is space to get voters on board… without having to change overall public perceptions about psychedelic’s place in society.” On the other hand, it may be easy to negatively sway the vote of people who do no wholeheartedly believe in the power of psychedelic medicines. 

When it comes to changing public opinion about the benefits of psychedelics, the data shows that people are most likely to trust the opinion of nurses, scientific researchers, doctors, and psychiatrists. Interestingly, more people find the FDA to be a somewhat or very suspicious source of information than indigenous practitioners of psychedelic medicine. However, 56% of people still find the FDA to be a trustworthy source. 

People who had more awareness or a first-degree connection to psychedelics were less likely to see law enforcement as a trustworthy source of information. On the other hand, conservative voters are more likely to trust law enforcement but less likely to trust every other source, including scientific researchers, nurses, and the FDA. This data will prove crucial in campaigns for legislative changes. It can be used to strategically change public perceptions of psychedelics. 

This data also suggests that creating changes in the regulations that govern psychedelics may be easier than previously thought. The percentage of people who support these shifts is actually higher than the percentage of people who voted in favor of psychedelic legalization in Oregon and Colorado– and both of those bills passed. Overall, the data is encouraging for the future of psychedelic access. 

The UC Berkeley psychedelic survey has provided invaluable insights into the voter landscape regarding psychedelic legalization in the US. For anyone hoping to instigate legislative changes that make psychedelics more accessible, this data will influence where those changes occur and the political tools used to make it happen.