DC Journos Taking Shrooms For ‘Performance-Enhancing Brain Boost,’ Report Says

Many journalists in Washington, D.C. are taking small doses of psychedelic mushrooms to improve their performance, according to Politico.

A 2020 D.C. ballot initiative made enforcement of bans on the purchase and distribution of psychedelic mushrooms the lowest priority of law enforcement, making the substance “basically legal,” according to Politico. The substance is used recreationally in full doses as well as in smaller “microdoses,” which some believe can improve brain function.

“Microdosing mushrooms as a kind of performance-enhancing brain boost — already wildly popular among the California tech set — is now fairly common in Washington, especially in media circles,” the Politico article said.

Additionally, many journalists are “macrodosing,” or taking large quantities of mushrooms to experience a psychedelic trip, as well.

Some journalists questioned the author’s claim that microdosing was common in Washington media circles.

“Apparently I’m a little out of touch with what’s common in media circles, as this is the first I’m hearing about this detail,” wrote Mike Madden, economics editor for The Washington Post.

“This item in this am’s [Politico] playbook is among the more interesting ways to remind me that I am not hanging out with the cool kids in dc,” Politico reporter Zach Montellaro tweeted alongside a screenshot of the article.

“Curious to see any research/data/polling/evidence that microdosing mushrooms is “fairly common in DC, especially in media circles,” Washington Post reporter Michelle Boorstein wrote.