Dear Editor,
We have read with great interest the article by Holas and Kamińska [1], which presents the first nationwide online survey of attitudes toward psychedelics and their use in Poland. The authors deserve recognition for their transparent reporting on a sensitive topic and for building an evidence base that shows that Polish science is ready to tackle complex mental health issues. Their work will help guide public discourse and inspire future research in Poland and beyond.
Curiosity was the most frequently cited reason for use. While revealing, the underlying motivation is complex and situation dependent. Qualitative follow-up (e.g., semi-structured, in-depth interviews) and open-ended questions would help capture therapeutic, spiritual, and identity-related narratives that may be difficult to elicit in an online questionnaire.
The paper reports on a representative sample by gender, age and the place of residence drawn from a PKJPA-certified online panel. To ensure reproducibility, it would be useful to present the quota ranges (age strata, urbanity thresholds), weighting procedures, and design effects in detail. Given the likely influence of religiosity and regional culture on attitudes towards psychedelics and PAT, we recommend stratification by voivodeship (administrative region) and adjustment for religious practices in future designs.
The reported lifetime prevalence of 4-8% (~2 million adults) is remarkable for a criminalized setting. However, because the sampling frame is an online panel, the estimate may be sensitive to coverage and non-response patterns (e.g., variation in internet use by age, gender, and urbanicity). Providing weighting diagnostics and sensitivity analyses (e.g., including additional margins or alternative propensity scores) would reassure readers that the 4-8% range is robust.
Among users, LSD was most frequently reported (35%), followed by psilocybin mushrooms (27%). Cross-tabulation by age cohort and urbanicity would be informative, as international datasets reveal cohort-specific preferences and access routes. An additional table (age × substance type) would significantly improve comparability with global surveys.
We note a possible source of confusion between the text and the regression tables (Tables 2 and 3). The re-port states that younger age and lifetime meditation predict more positive attitudes toward psychedelics and PAT, but the standardized beta coefficients are negative. This likely stems from predictor coding (e.g., reverse reference category for meditation) or the use of standardized coefficients in multivariate models. A brief reference to the coding scheme would align the tables fully with the text.
An important public health message from the study is that most respondents were indifferent to PAT, while attitudes toward psychedelics were generally negative. Communication, education, and clinical implementation must therefore be careful, evidence-based, and in line with legal requirements. Harmonized clinical protocols [2, 3] can help maintain public trust while ensuring scientific rigor and patient safety. Without clear, common standards, limited public acceptance could foster polarized discourse and hinder responsible clinical development and service design.
Conflict of interests
Damian Swieczkowski: No conflict of interest.
Aleksander Kwaśny has received: i) grants: Beckley Psytech, Compass Pathways, GH Research, MSD.
Wiesław Jerzy Cubała has received:
Grants: Acadia, Alkermes, Allergan, Angelini, Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Beckley Psytech, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celon, Cephalon, Compass Pathways, Cortexyme, Ferrier, Forest Laboratories, Gedeon Richter, GH Research, GW Pharmaceuticals, HMNC Brain Health, IntraCellular Therapies, Janssen, KCR, Lilly, Lundbeck, Minerva, MSD, NIH, Neumora, Novartis, Orion, Otsuka, Recognify Life Sciences, Sanofi, Servier.
Honoraria: Adamed, Angelini, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celon, GH Research, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, KRKA, Lekam, Lundbeck, Minerva, NeuroCog, Novartis, Orion, Pfizer, Polfa Tarchomin, Sanofi, Servier, Zentiva.
Advisory Boards: currently on advisory boards for GH Research, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Tasman Therapeutics, and Sanofi; previously served on advisory boards for Angelini, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Polpharma, and Celon Pharma (until 2021).
Funding
None.
References
1. Holas P, Kamińska J. Psychedelic use in Poland: prevalence, correlates and social attitudes. Adv Psychiatry Neurol 2025; 34: 139-148.
2.
Swieczkowski D, Kwaśny A, Sadko K, Pruc M, Gaca Z, Szarpak L, Cubała WJ. Lessons learned from the regulatory alignment in ketamine, esketamine and arketamine clinical trials: a crosssectional analysis of protocols from ClinicalTrials.gov. Psychiatry Res 2025; 350: 116559. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116559.
3.
Swieczkowski D, Kwaśny A, Pruc M, Gaca Z, Szarpak L, Cubała WJ. Regulatory alignment of psilocybin clinical trials in major depressive disorder on ClinicalTrials.gov: a crosssectional analysis. Pharmacopsychiatry 2025; 58: 187-197.
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