Psilocybin decriminalization in the United States
Updated: 5/20/2026, 7:37:44 PM Wikipedia source
In the United States, psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, which prohibits its use, sale, and possession under federal law. Despite this, campaigns to decriminalize and legalize the medical use of psilocybin have succeeded in several jurisdictions since 2019. Denver became the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in May 2019, followed by Oakland in June 2019, Santa Cruz, California in January 2020, and Washington, D . in November 2020. Oregon voters passed two ballot measures in 2020, making it the first state to legalize the supervised use of psilocybin and decriminalize possession of all drugs, including psilocybin. Colorado followed with a similar medical use and decriminalization measure in 2022. Since then, reforms have been enacted in more jurisdictions across the U .
Tables
| State or D . | City | Possession | Medical | Effective date |
| California | Oakland | Decriminalized | Illegal | June 2019 |
| Santa Cruz | January 2020 | |||
| Arcata | October 2021 | |||
| San Francisco | September 7, 2022 | |||
| Berkeley | July 11, 2023 | |||
| Eureka | October 18, 2023 | |||
| Colorado | Statewide | Decriminalized | Adult use | November 2022 |
| District of Columbia | Washington D . | Decriminalized | Illegal | March 15, 2021 |
| Maine | Portland | Decriminalized | Illegal | October 3, 2023 |
| Massachusetts | Somerville | Decriminalized | Illegal | January 2021 |
| Cambridge | February 2021 | |||
| Northampton | March 2021 | |||
| Easthampton | October 20, 2021 | |||
| Amherst | July 18, 2022 | |||
| Salem | May 2023 | |||
| Provincetown | December 2023 | |||
| Medford | February 2024 | |||
| Michigan | Ann Arbor | Decriminalized | Illegal | September 2020 |
| Washtenaw County | January 2021 | |||
| Detroit | November 3, 2021 | |||
| Hazel Park | March 22, 2022 | |||
| Ferndale | February 27, 2023 | |||
| Ypsilanti | January 2024 | |||
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | Decriminalized | Illegal | July 21, 2023 |
| New Mexico | Statewide | Legalized with a therapist or licensed facilitator. | Assisted adult use | April 8, 2025 |
| Oregon | Statewide | Legalized with a therapist or licensed facilitator. | Assisted adult use | November 3, 2020 |
| Washington | Seattle | Decriminalized | Illegal | October 2021 |
| Port Townsend | December 20, 2021 | |||
| Jefferson County | May 2023 | |||
| Olympia | August 14, 2024 | |||
| Tacoma | January 28, 2025 | |||
| King County | March 24, 2026 |
References
- Business Insiderhttps://www.businessinsider.com/oregon-first-ever-state-to-legalize-psilocybin-for-therapeutic-use-2020-11
- "Oregon Becomes First State to Legalize Psilocybin for Therapeutic Use"https://katu.com/news/your-voice-your-vote/oregon-becomes-first-state-to-legalize-psilocybin-for-therapeutic-use
- The Colorado Sunhttp://coloradosun.com/2022/11/09/proposition-122-colorado-results-psilocybin-mushrooms-2/
- Newsweekhttps://www.newsweek.com/magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-shrooms-denver-legal-how-take-1445041
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com./2019/05/10/opinion/denver-mushrooms-psilocybin.html
- NPRhttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/09/721660053/in-close-vote-denver-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-decriminalize-psychedelic-mushroo
- Albuquerque Journalhttps://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/apmush06-15-05.htm
- Williams, Brett. "Mind the Magic Shrooms". Santa Fe Reporter. March 11, 2014.
- Wiredhttps://www.wired.com/story/inside-the-push-to-legalize-magic-mushrooms-for-depression-and-ptsd/
- CNNhttps://www.cnn.com/2020/01/30/us/santa-cruz-mushrooms-psychedelics-trnd/index.html
- Marijuana Momenthttps://www.marijuanamoment.net/dea-sued-by-therapists-who-want-permission-to-give-psilocybin-mushrooms-to-patients/
- New Atlashttps://newatlas.com/psilocybin-magic-mushrooms-depression-fda-breakthrough-therapy/56928/
- Live Sciencehttps://www.livescience.com/psilocybin-depression-breakthrough-therapy.html
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/06/05/oakland-california-legalizes-magic-mushrooms-and-peyote/1347888001/
- Timehttps://time.com/5585635/denver-magic-mushrooms-vote/
- The Colorado Sunhttps://coloradosun.com/2019/05/20/denver-magic-mushrooms-ballot-measure-still-criminal/
- ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/US/santa-cruz-decriminalizes-psychedelic-mushrooms/story?id=68611065
- MLivehttps://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2020/09/ann-arbor-oks-move-to-decriminalize-psychedelic-mushrooms-plants.html
- Marijuana Momenthttps://www.marijuanamoment.net/city-council-unanimously-votes-to-decriminalize-psychedelics-in-ann-arbor-michigan/
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/01/oregon-drug-recriminalize-portland-decriminalize/