Research conducted by Stockton Professor of Psychology and Hughes Center Faculty Associate Justin Ostrofsky and his team of student researchers, Shayla Nagle, Morgan Seidman and Katherine Wilkinson has found that the use of psilocybin under professional supervision, or psilocybin-assisted therapy, has shown significant anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects that have been replicated across multiple randomized clinical trials.
Galloway, N.J. —Psilocybin has been shown to effectively reduce depression and anxiety and a slim majority of New Jersey residents approve legalizing this type of treatment, according to research released today by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University.Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms.
The research was conducted by Stockton Professor of Psychology and Hughes Center Faculty Associate Justin Ostrofsky and his team of student researchers, Shayla Nagle, Morgan Seidman and Katherine Wilkinson.
The Hughes Center aims to be at the forefront of new, and perhaps lesser-known, policy discussions. We hope this report adds to the public discourse around this topic and helps New Jersey residents feel more informed.”
In addition to examining existing clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using psilocybin to treat mental health disorders, they also analyzed the results of an original Hughes Center poll of more than 600 New Jersey residents to gauge public support for legalizing such treatment.
“The Hughes Center aims to be at the forefront of new, and perhaps lesser-known, policy discussions,” said Hughes Center Interim Director Alyssa Maurice. “We hope this report adds to the public discourse around this topic and helps New Jersey residents feel more informed.”
Some highlights from the research report include:
Key findings from the statewide poll featured in the report include:
The research was spurred by a bill recently introduced in the New Jersey state senate which, if passed, would “authorize the production and use of psilocybin (for residents who are 21 or older) to promote health and wellness” and allow for the establishment of psilocybin service centers.
The bill would also decriminalize psilocybin and expunge past related offenses. However, the Hughes Center report only evaluates the medicinal use of psilocybin in a controlled setting and does not address recreational or unsupervised use.
In an audio conversation about the report, the researchers called for increased awareness and education around alternative forms of behavioral healthcare.
“Depression and anxiety are two mental health disorders many people suffer from but not all individuals respond well to traditional forms of treatment,” said Ostrofsky, who led the study.
Researchers Nagle and Seidman graduated from Stockton with their bachelor’s in Psychology in May and Wilkinson is a senior at Stockton also majoring in Psychology.
You can listen to an audio conversation with the researchers discussing their findings here.
Find the full research report here.
Find the full poll results here.
Methodology
The poll of New Jersey adult residents was conducted by the Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy from Feb. 20-March 3, 2024. Stockton University students texted cell phones with invitations to take the survey online and Opinion Services supplemented the dialing portion of the fieldwork, which consisted of cell and landline telephone calls. Overall, 96% of interviews were conducted on cell phones and 4% on landline phones. In terms of mode, 82% were reached via dialing and 18% were reached via text-to-web. A total of 606 New Jersey adult residents were interviewed. Both cell and landline samples consisted of random digit dialing (RDD) sample from MSG. Data are weighted based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2022 data for New Jersey on variables of age, race, education level and sex. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. MOE is higher for subsets.
About the Hughes Center
The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University serves as a catalyst for research, analysis and innovative policy solutions on the economic, social and cultural issues facing New Jersey, and promotes the civic life of New Jersey through engagement, education and research. The center is named for the late William J. Hughes, whose distinguished career includes service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ambassador to Panama and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Stockton. The Hughes Center can be found on YouTube, and can be followed on Facebook @StocktonHughesCenter and X @hughescenter.
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