Are Shrooms Legal in Vermont? 2026 Magic Mushroom Laws

Illegal

Psilocybin remains fully illegal in Vermont as of July 2026 — a state working group studied psychedelic therapy and reform bills have been filed repeatedly, but none has passed, and Vermont has no ballot-initiative route to change that.

Psilocybin is illegal in Vermont in 2026 — full stop. Despite the state's early-mover reputation on cannabis, magic mushrooms remain a regulated hallucinogenic drug here (Schedule I federally), and possessing any amount is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison, a $2,000 fine, or both. Growing them is treated far more harshly than most people expect: Vermont's manufacture-and-cultivation statute, 18 V.S.A. § 4236, reaches up to 20 years and a $1,000,000 fine, and the cannabis home-grow allowance does not carry over. Vermont has been studying the issue rather than legalizing: a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group, created by law in May 2024, reported that November that the state was not ready for legal psychedelic-assisted therapy and should keep watching the research and the licensed programs in Oregon and Colorado. Reform bills followed — a 2025 decriminalization-plus-therapeutic-consultation measure (H.452) and a 2026 psychedelic-therapy research bill (H.859) — but neither has had a committee vote. No Vermont city has passed local decriminalization either, and because Vermont has no statewide citizen initiative, there is no ballot-measure path around the legislature. What is legal in Vermont: psilocybin spores for microscopy, amanita muscaria (not a scheduled drug here, though the FDA has ruled it unauthorized for use in conventional food), and functional mushrooms like lion's mane and reishi. For actual psilocybin services, Vermonters must travel to a licensed program out of state.

Possession

Possessing any amount of psilocybin is a crime in Vermont. Psilocybin and psilocin are "hallucinogenic drugs" under 18 V.S.A. § 4201(10) and are listed in the Vermont Department of Health's Regulated Drug Rule. Under 18 V.S.A. § 4235(b), possession is punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both; possession of 10 or more doses raises the ceiling to five years and $25,000, 100 or more doses to 10 years and $100,000, and 1,000 or more doses to 15 years and $500,000.

Cultivation

Growing psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in Vermont, and the statutory exposure is much higher than for simple possession. Vermont has a dedicated manufacture-and-cultivation statute, 18 V.S.A. § 4236, under which knowingly and unlawfully manufacturing or cultivating a regulated drug is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both; the section expressly exempts only cannabis cultivation. Depending on the facts, a grow can also be charged under the possession and selling/dispensing tiers of 18 V.S.A. § 4235.

Retail / purchase

No form of psilocybin purchase is legal in Vermont — there are no licensed dispensaries, service centers, or retail products. Under 18 V.S.A. § 4235(c), knowingly and unlawfully selling a hallucinogenic drug carries up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine (dispensing it, up to three years and $25,000), rising to 10 years and $100,000 for 10 or more doses and 15 years and $500,000 for 100 or more doses.

Spores

Vermont has no law specifically banning psilocybin mushroom spores, which contain no psilocybin or psilocin. Neither 18 V.S.A. § 4235 nor the Health Department's Regulated Drug Rule mentions spores or mycelium, so possessing them for microscopy or taxonomy is not itself a scheduled-drug offense here. Spore bans are the exception nationally rather than the rule, but the list has grown: California, Florida, Georgia, and Idaho restrict them, with Florida added in 2025 when SB 700 (Chapter 2025-22, Laws of Florida) made it a first-degree misdemeanor to transport, import, sell, or give away spores or mycelium capable of producing psilocybin or psilocin. Vermont is not on that list. The important caveat is that germinating spores into mushrooms is a serious crime in Vermont under the cultivation statute (18 V.S.A. § 4236), so acquiring spores while signalling an intent to grow carries real legal risk even though the spores themselves are not scheduled.

Amanita muscaria

Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) is a different mushroom from psilocybin-containing species. It is not a federally controlled substance, and it does not appear in Vermont's Regulated Drug Rule — neither the mushroom nor muscimol, ibotenic acid, or muscarine is listed — so it is not a scheduled drug under Vermont law. Louisiana is the state most commonly cited as restricting it for human consumption. The significant caveat is federal and concerns food: on December 18, 2024 the FDA issued a letter to food manufacturers stating that A. muscaria, its extracts, and its constituents (muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine) are not authorized for use as ingredients in conventional food. The agency determined they are unapproved food additives that do not meet the Generally Recognized As Safe standard, advised consumers to avoid foods containing them, and said it is also evaluating their use in dietary supplements. Amanita gummies and similar ingestible products therefore occupy a federal regulatory gray zone regardless of Vermont law, and the mushroom is genuinely toxic — the FDA has identified A. muscaria and its constituents as poisoning agents since its 2012 "Bad Bug Book."

Recent changes

Vermont has studied psychedelics but has not changed its psilocybin law. S.114 (Act 126), signed by Gov. Phil Scott on May 29, 2024, created the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group. Its November 2024 final report concluded that Vermont was not ready to authorize psychedelic-assisted therapy, made continued monitoring of the research and of other states' programs its primary recommendation, and asked lawmakers to extend and expand the group's work. Three follow-up bills were introduced in the 2025-2026 biennium and none has received a committee vote: H.452 (Rep. Brian Cina, read first time February 28, 2025), which would have decriminalized personal possession and cultivation for adults 21 and older and created a Psilocybin Therapeutic Consultation Program, sits in the House Committee on Human Services with no recorded hearing; S.106 (Sens. Martine Gulick, Tanya Vyhovsky, and Rebecca White, read first time March 11, 2025), which would have continued the working group, sits in the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare; and H.859 (Rep. Cina and five co-sponsors, read first time February 3, 2026), on psychedelic therapy and clinical drug development trials, sits in the House Committee on Health Care. Because the 2025-2026 biennium does not end until January 2027, these bills are technically still pending rather than formally dead, but none has advanced beyond first reading. Vermont also has no statewide citizen initiative process, so psilocybin cannot be put to voters at a statewide ballot — any change has to come from the legislature. As of July 2026, no reform has passed.

Simple possession of psilocybin is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a $2,000 fine, or both. Ten or more doses makes it a felony (up to five years and $25,000), with higher tiers at 100 doses (10 years, $100,000) and 1,000 doses (15 years, $500,000). Selling is a felony from the first dose (up to five years and $25,000). Manufacturing or cultivating carries the harshest exposure in the chapter: up to 20 years and $1,000,000 under 18 V.S.A. § 4236. One wrinkle worth knowing: § 4235 directs the Department of Health to set doses by rule, but the current Regulated Drug Rule establishes benchmark unlawful dosages only for certain stimulants, depressants, and narcotics — not for psilocybin — so how the dose tiers apply to mushrooms is not settled by rule.

Legal options for Vermont residents

The nearest genuinely legal psilocybin access for Vermonters is a licensed out-of-state program — Colorado's state-licensed healing centers or Oregon's licensed psilocybin service centers, both open to non-residents who travel there. Legal at home in Vermont: psilocybin spores for microscopy, amanita muscaria (unscheduled in Vermont, though the FDA has determined it is not authorized for use in conventional food), and functional (non-psychoactive) mushrooms.

FAQ

Are shrooms legal in Vermont?

No. Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal to possess, grow, or sell anywhere in Vermont as of 2026. Possession of even a small amount is a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in prison, a $2,000 fine, or both under 18 V.S.A. § 4235, and no Vermont city has passed a local decriminalization measure.

Did Vermont decriminalize psilocybin in 2025 or 2026?

No. H.452, filed in February 2025, would have decriminalized personal possession and home cultivation for adults 21 and older and created a Psilocybin Therapeutic Consultation Program, but it was referred to the House Committee on Human Services and has never received a hearing or a vote. A 2026 bill on psychedelic therapy and clinical trials, H.859, is parked in House Health Care the same way. Both are technically still alive until the biennium ends in January 2027, but Vermont law is unchanged.

What happens if I grow mushrooms at home in Vermont?

Cultivation is the most heavily punished psilocybin offense in Vermont law. 18 V.S.A. § 4236 makes manufacturing or cultivating a regulated drug punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both, and the cannabis home-grow allowance does not extend to mushrooms. That is a far larger penalty range than simple possession — a point people frequently get wrong.

Can I buy magic mushrooms legally in Vermont?

No. There is no legal way to buy psilocybin in Vermont in any form — the state has no medical, therapeutic, or retail program, and selling psilocybin is a felony. The nearest legal supervised access is through Oregon's licensed psilocybin service centers and Colorado's licensed healing centers, both of which require traveling to those states.

Are psilocybin spores legal in Vermont?

Yes, for microscopy. Spores contain no psilocybin and Vermont has no spore-specific ban, so owning them for microscopy or taxonomy research is not a scheduled-drug offense. A handful of states do restrict spores — California, Florida, Georgia, and Idaho, with Florida added by SB 700 in 2025 — but Vermont is not among them. Germinating spores into mushrooms is a different matter entirely: that is cultivation, punishable by up to 20 years under 18 V.S.A. § 4236.

Is Vermont working on legal psilocybin therapy?

Slowly, and only through the legislature. A state Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group, created by Act 126 in May 2024, issued a final report in November 2024 concluding Vermont was not ready to legalize psychedelic-assisted therapy; its main recommendation was to keep monitoring the research and the licensed programs in Oregon and Colorado, and to extend the group's own work. Follow-up bills in 2025 and 2026 have not advanced. Vermont has no statewide ballot-initiative process, so voters cannot force the issue directly.

Not sure where to start?

Take the 2-minute ShrooMap quiz for a personalized, medically-reviewed next step — legal options only.

Take the quiz

Sources

Other states

Alabama Illegal Alaska Illegal Arizona Illegal Arkansas Illegal California Illegal Colorado Licensed access Connecticut Medical / research only Delaware Illegal Florida Illegal Georgia Illegal Hawaii Illegal Idaho Illegal

All 50 states + DC →

Informational only — not legal or medical advice. Laws change quickly; confirm with official state sources before acting. ShrooMap does not sell or ship any product. 21+. See our methodology.