The Rising Use of LSD among Business Managers.

Past-year LSD use increased more rapidly among business managers than among non-managers in the United States between 2006 and 2014. This difference was not explained by changes in managers' perceived risk of LSD or overall substance use. The findings suggest that hierarchical rank in the workplace is linked to rising LSD use, and that managers—both men and women—may be increasingly drawn to LSD for its potential to enhance creativity and competitive performance.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Although studies have demonstrated that the use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is on the rise in the United States, it remains unclear how this trend looks across the hierarchical ladder of the American workforce. This is relevant given that LSD is increasingly being touted as a means of boosting creativity and performance, with mounting anecdotal evidence that business managers in particular are turning to it for inspiration and insight. Using pooled cross-sectional data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2006-2014) on 168,920 adults in the United States employed full-time (weighted = 117,270,940), this study investigates how temporal trends in past year LSD use differ among business managers and non-managers. The results suggest that the prevalence of past year LSD use increased over time at a greater rate among business managers than non-managers and that this difference cannot be accounted for by changes in business managers' perceived risk of LSD use or general substance use relative to non-managers. The study's findings indicate that temporal trends in past year LSD use depend on employees' hierarchical rank in their organization and suggest that business managers, regardless of gender, are becomingly increasingly interested in the potential competitive advantages that LSD may offer.