Jaden Smith Says Mom Jada Introduced Family To Psychedelics

The world of psychedelics has a mixed reputation, but many partake for a plethora of reasons, including some of our favorite celebrities. Jaden Smith revealed at the Psychedelic Science conference on Friday that his mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith, was the first in the family to introduce their brood to psychedelics.

“I think it was my mom, actually. That was really the first one to make that step for the family,” Jaden said. “It was just her for a really, really long time, and then eventually it just trickled and evolved, and everybody found it in their own ways.”

The rapper and singer revealed that the use of hallucinogens nurtured his empathy towards others, which improved his relationship with his family, particularly in enhancing compassion and understanding for his siblings Willow Smith and half-brother Trey Smith.

“Siblings can argue so much and fight so much, and Lord knows me and my siblings have done so much of that in the past,” the 24-year-old said. “But the level of love and empathy that I can feel for them inside of the [psychedelic] experiences and outside of the experiences has been something that’s profound and beautiful.”

Smith remembered times when the siblings would have an argument, share psychedelics and then makeup.

“It will actually help us to open up our minds to get out of the old ways of thinking that got us into lots of these arguments and open it up so that it just releases and makes room for you to work it out and massage it out until it’s completely gone,” Smith said.

Multiple psychedelics are credited with increasing emotional empathy, according to various studies, including a 2017 study in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology that specifically names psilocybin as proven to boost open-minded thinking.

Jaden even disclosed how his first experience with psychedelics became “a turning point in his understanding of nature and self.”

“When people are stuck or suffering, well-guided change can be beneficial, and psychedelics are agents that encourage such transformative experiences,” he once told USA TODAY.

This catalyst is what Jaden gives credit for inspiring his philanthropic endeavors and cultivating his creativity. The environmentalist also credits the plant medicine for enriching a “deeper, deeper, deeper layer of a connection with nature.”

Jaden opened up about his use of psychedelics before, back in 2021. He told Complex about how his mixtape, CTV3, was inspired by his exploration of hallucinogens.

“I really wanted to update people on the psychedelic journey that I’ve been on in my life and how that has affected me,” the artist said about his intentions with the project.

Jaden revealed that the mixtape was meant to be “a soundtrack for people to be able to study their own mystical states of consciousness.”

In addition to Jaden, the Smith Crew follows Lindsay Lohan, Chelsea Handler, Megan Fox, Aaron Rodgers, Miley Cyrus, Lorde and Kristen Bell in bringing psychedelics into the mainstream conversation after sharing their positive experiences with the drugs.

When practiced in proper quantities and safe settings, some experts say there are legitimate benefits to using psychedelic drugs. Nonetheless, psychedelics are illegal on the federal level and in the majority of states aside from a handful such as Colorado and Oregon that have legalized or decriminalized magic mushroom use.

And as the concept of using these hallucinogens is fairly new, it’s up to researchers to provide studies on the long-term effects psychedelics can have on empathy.

But for stars like Jaden, his discovery of psychedelics and their effects have inspired the celebrity to use his platform to spread the word.