Are Psychedelics Now Allowed?

Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal to sell and possess, but their cultivation is legal when treated as mushrooms. Psychedelics, including psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, are Schedule I controlled substances. As interest in their potential therapeutic benefits grows, so does the debate over their legal status. Oregon is set to be the first US state where selling and taking “magic” mushrooms is legal, with services available at various businesses.

On January 1, Oregon became the first state to allow adult use of psilocybin “magic” mushrooms after voters approved so in 2020. Colorado voters approved a ballot measure legalizing the use of psilocybin and psilocin, two psychedelic compounds found in so-called magic mushrooms, in Tuesday’s midterm election. Oregon Measure 109 creates a program for administration of psilocybin products, including “magic mushrooms”, to individuals 21 and older in a clinical setting.

The legal status of unauthorised actions with psilocybin mushrooms varies worldwide. Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United States. Psychedelics include psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, ayahuasca, peyote, and other hallucinogens. The push to legalize magic mushrooms, MDMA, LSD, and other hallucinogens is likely to heighten tensions between state and federal law.

In the Bahamas, drug policy is dictated by the Dangerous Drugs Act, which was amended in 2018. Calls to poison control centers spiked across the US for adolescents and young adults exposed to the hallucinogen psilocybin. The movement to decriminalize psilocybin in the United States began in 2019 with Denver, Colorado, becoming the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in 2019.