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Cited by 696Smoking Behavior and CessationPsychedelics and Drug StudiesSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation

Open access
Johnson, Matthew W., Garcia-Romeu, Albert, Griffiths, Roland R.·2017·The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
DOI 10.3109/00952990.2016.1170135PMC PMC5641975
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: A recent open-label pilot study (N = 15) found that two to three moderate to high doses (20 and 30 mg/70 kg) of the serotonin 2A receptor agonist, psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for smoking cessation, resulted in substantially higher 6-month smoking abstinence rates than are typically observed with other medications or CBT alone. OBJECTIVES: To assess long-term effects of a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation program at ≥12 months after psilocybin administration. METHODS: The present report describes biologically verified smoking abstinence outcomes of the previous pilot study at ≥12 months, and related data on subjective effects of psilocybin. RESULTS: All 15 participants completed a 12-month follow-up, and 12 (80%) returned for a long-term (≥16 months) follow-up, with a mean interval of 30 months (range = 16-57 months) between target-quit date (i.e., first psilocybin session) and long-term follow-up. At 12-month follow-up, 10 participants (67%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At long-term follow-up, nine participants (60%) were confirmed as smoking abstinent. At 12-month follow-up 13 participants (86.7%) rated their psilocybin experiences among the five most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in the context of a structured treatment program, psilocybin holds considerable promise in promoting long-term smoking abstinence. The present study adds to recent and historical evidence suggesting high success rates when using classic psychedelics in the treatment of addiction. Further research investigating psilocybin-facilitated treatment of substance use disorders is warranted.

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Crossref · 10.3109/00952990.2016.1170135

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  • Psychedelic therapy can amplify awareness of triggers and habitual responses, resulting in deeper behavioral transformations.

    “As previously noted, mindfulness practices facilitate behavioral change by enabling individuals to identify triggers and habitual responses, whereas psychedelic therapy can amplify this awareness, resulting in even deeper behavioral transformations [33].”

    From Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports lasting psychological and behavioral shifts following psychedelic administration. It does not say that psychedelic therapy amplifies awareness of triggers or habitual responses, or compare the depth of those changes with mindfulness-based change. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Classic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin have shown promise as aids in psychotherapy for mood disorders and substance dependence.

    “Classic psychedelics, such as synthetic LSD and psilocybin, which is found in certain mushrooms, have shown promise as aids in psychotherapy e.g., for mood disorders and substance dependence [1, 5, 33].”

    From Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities (2023) · cites this paper as [33]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says the smoking-cessation findings, together with evidence on alcoholism and alcohol dependence, suggest therapeutic potential for psychedelics in structured treatment of substance use disorders. The paper does not establish the claimed promise for treating mood disorders; its references to mood concern measured changes, not mood-disorder treatment. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • There is emerging evidence from early phase trials of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for nicotine dependence.

    “There is emerging evidence from early phase trials of nicotine dependence (14)”

    From Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine dependence: a case report involving daily methamphetamine use (2024) · cites this paper as [14]

  • PAT appears to be safe and potentially efficacious for substance use disorders, based on early trials for nicotine and alcohol use disorders.

    “Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) also appears to be safe and potentially efficacious for substance use disorders, based on early trials for nicotine and alcohol use disorders [14,15], with little evidence of harmful use in the community [16].”

    From Psilocybin‐assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot open‐label safety and feasibility study. (2025) · cites this paper as [14]

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Authors
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., & Griffiths, R. R.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Corresponding author
Johnson, Matthew W.
ORCID
Venue
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2016-07-21
Volume
43
Issue
1
Pages
55-60
ISSN
  • 0095-2990 (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-9891
DOI
10.3109/00952990.2016.1170135
PMC
PMC5641975
OpenAlex
W2506717582
Cited by
696
References
23
Citations by year
2026: 53 · 2025: 100 · 2024: 89 · 2023: 112 · 2022: 131 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 83 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 3
FWCI
17.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2017-01-20)
Open access
Locations
  • The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA003889)
  • Beckley Foundation (N/A)
  • Heffter Research Institute (N/A)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
psilocybin, smoking cessation, smoking abstinence, long-term follow-up, cognitive behavioral therapy, classic psychedelics, addiction treatment, spiritual experience
MeSH terms
Combined Modality Therapy, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Hallucinogens, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Psilocybin, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Smoking Cessation

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