Written by: Officer Jermaine Galloway
August 23, 2023 / UPDATED April 3, 2025
Approximately 26 months ago, during several environmental scans, I noticed something emerging on store shelves. The drug is called Amanita Muscaria, which is being sold and marketed as a legal form of mushroom. This drug works similarly to Psilocybin mushrooms in high doses but is not flagged in drug tests or field test kits. Amanita is sold as an alternative to avoid state laws and may be unknown to the everyday professional. Amanita has also been coined as the “Delta 8 of the hallucinogen world”. What do they mean by that statement? It is a somewhat unknown substance that is being sold over the counter in gas stations, smoke shops, some shopping malls, and online.
Amanita Muscaria (aka fly agaric) is native to regions of the world, including the Northern Hemisphere, and has been around for a few centuries. This form of mushroom can be poisonous and has been used in ceremonies for centuries.
As your emerging drug trend expert, I must ask, “Why is Amanita the next major drug trend, and why is everything pointing to hallucinogens and psychedelics as the up-and-coming drug trend?” Amanita is being sold as a legal alternative to hallucinogens and an alternative to one of the more popular mushrooms, Psilocybin. Amanita generally comes in gummy or candy bar form (see above picture), but I have also found it in a vape pen, and you can expect more forms of Amanita and even other mushrooms to emerge. It is important to note that Amanita helps users avoid (drug) testing standards.
The next question I am asking is, “Why did this trend turn so quickly to Amanita?” This leads me to believe that more psychedelics are coming. Some US states and a few municipalities have decriminalized or legalized medicinal psilocybin, and there is new research being done on psilocybin regarding treatment for PTSD, depression, and other conditions. The new focus, accessibility, and emergence of newer psilocybin products, along with an increase in the number of those who might be selling these products, has already led to some candy bars/gummies, etc. being diverted to the streets.
For example, at a school conference in the south, I had an SRO share a case where a 9-year-old 4th grader ate some of “mommy’s chocolate bar.” She overdosed on what turned out to be a psilocybin candy bar that she found in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, I have seen an increase in news articles from various police departments who have had psilocybin drug seizures. Finally, I have received more emails and correspondence regarding mushrooms in the past two years than in all my years of training combined! This is a significant trend shift. Unfortunately, when products like this get redirected (to the streets), we see an increase in use, including an increase in youth accessibility, and that is exactly what we are seeing. It will get worse, and I mean extremely worse, concerning these products being diverted onto the streets.
In 2018, the CDC released an article on Amanita. Please read this article as it can be a dangerous substance that is important to be aware of. You can read it here:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6821a4.htm.
Over the last two years, I have found some amanita products (and psylocibin) being mixed with Delta 9 THC. The interaction of these two drugs can give a drug seeker a more euphoric experience. There are several products on the market that contain these two substances and more.
I have interviewed several smoke shop clerks and users of Amanita and I have received many of the same reports. Many of these individuals are dosing it higher to reach a euphoria comparable to Psilocybin. Most of the Amanita packs being consumed contain between 3-6 gummies. There appears to be several companies putting this product out and undoubtedly there will be more Amanita or other over the counter psychedelics coming (Like what we saw with cannabis variants such as Delta 8, 10 and 11). We should expect other forms of mushrooms to emerge. Be aware that many of which will not be detected in field drug tests or lab tests