Can You Smoke Shrooms? No! Here’s Why
One of the more popular (and famous) psychedelics are magic mushrooms. People eat them, cook with them and lemon tek them. But can you smoke shrooms?
Shrooms contain a compound called psilocybin — which affects your brain and causes visual and auditory distortions, known as hallucinations. These can range from mild to strong. They can bring a variety of different sensations. They, mostly, bring on positive shifts in mood.
Due to shrooms’ potential to trigger euphoria, their effect on anxiety and depression has been the focus of ongoing research. Other mental health issues are slowly getting into the mix, with addiction, PTSD, and eating disorders high on the list.
Did You Know? Psychedelics Have Been Show To Help Smoking Addiction?
Can You Smoke Shrooms?
But there is something dangerous about smoking magic (or any) mushrooms. According to Twitter post by Matt Johnson, a professor and researcher focusing on psychedelics and behavioral health at Johns Hopkins University, “I want to warn that one should NEVER try smoking or vaping shrooms or any other fungus. Fungal lung infections can be fatal. No joke.”
So we recommend that no, you should not attempt to smoke or vape mushrooms of any kind.
And besides, it is not going to cause any effect.
In order for psilocybin and psilocin to take effect, shrooms must pass through the digestive system. It is how they get activated. So, while you can smoke shrooms, the compounds only get into the lungs. This cannot replicate the same process and trigger the serotonin receptors in the brain. That’s why smoking shrooms is generally uncommon.
Here Are Some Bad Things That Can Happen if You Smoke Shrooms
| Potential Health Effect | Potential Harmful Outcome |
| Inhalation of harmful compounds | Burning mushrooms could produce harmful chemicals that could irritate or damage the lungs. |
| Reduced potency or altered effects | The heat might break down psilocybin, reducing or altering its effects. |
| Lung irritation | As with any non-standard smoking material, inhaling the smoke can irritate the lungs. |
| Respiratory issues | Chronic or repeated smoking of any substance can lead to respiratory problems, including bronchitis. |
| Risk of fungal spores | Fungal spores may be inhaled into the lungs, potentially causing a rare type of infection or lung disease. |
| Toxic byproducts | Depending on the mushroom and how it was grown, there might be potential toxins released when burned. |
| Risk of misidentification | There’s always a risk of misidentifying a magic mushroom. Smoking a toxic mushroom can be harmful or even deadly. |
RELATED: Do Shrooms Show Up On A Drug Test?
Disclaimer: We do not endorse the illicit use of Schedule 1 psychedelic compounds in a non-therapeutic setting. We do, however, hope the regulations look at the research to understand how these drugs can used in powerfully positive ways.
