Escaping boredom with altered consciousness

College students reported record-high marijuana use and record-low drinking in 2020, study says

To escape the boredom and stress of the pandemic, college students are turning to psychedelics and marijuana.

A recent study found that psychedelic drug use among college students nearly doubled during the pandemic, increasing from 5% in 2019 to 9% in 2020. For non-college young adults, use increased from 8% to 10%.

College students also reported record-high marijuana use and record-low levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking, likely as a result of fewer social events.

Experts predict that these trends reflect need to cope with mental health issues the desire to break monotony with a different mental state.