Psilocybin remains illegal statewide in Washington in 2026, though six local jurisdictions have deprioritized enforcement and a medical-use bill advanced in the 2026 legislature before stalling.
As of mid-2026, psilocybin mushrooms remain illegal to buy, sell, grow, or possess under Washington state law — even though the state sits next door to Oregon's fully licensed psilocybin therapy system. What Washington does have is momentum. Lawmakers stood up a Health Care Authority psilocybin task force and authorized a University of Washington therapy pilot for first responders and veterans in 2023 — though the governor vetoed 9 of that bill's 14 sections, and the pilot was left contingent on funding and on FDA-approved research pathways. In the 2026 session, Senate Bill 5921 — a Medical Use of Psilocybin Program aimed at a July 2028 launch — cleared its first committee but never reached a floor vote, dying in Ways & Means when the session adjourned. On the ground, enforcement looks different from the statute book: Seattle, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Olympia, Tacoma, and King County have all told police that personal use of natural psychedelics belongs among their lowest priorities. Statewide, simple possession is a gross misdemeanor with a heavy emphasis on diversion into treatment rather than jail. Practically speaking, Washington residents seeking legal options look south to Oregon's licensed service centers, while spores for microscopy, amanita muscaria, and functional mushrooms remain legal to purchase at home.
Possession
Possessing psilocybin mushrooms is illegal everywhere in Washington. Under the state's 2023 drug possession law (SB 5536, codified at RCW 69.50.4013), knowing possession is a gross misdemeanor, with police and courts directed to steer people toward treatment and diversion rather than jail.
Cultivation
Growing psilocybin mushrooms is illegal in Washington and is treated as manufacturing a controlled substance, a felony.
Retail / purchase
No purchase of psilocybin in any form is legal in Washington — the state has no licensed dispensaries, service centers, or therapy programs. Legal retail here is limited to non-psilocybin products such as microscopy spores, amanita muscaria, and functional mushrooms.
Local decriminalization
Seattle · Port Townsend · Jefferson County · Olympia · Tacoma · King County
Spores
Psilocybin spores are legal to buy and possess in Washington for microscopy purposes because they contain no psilocybin or psilocyn. Two limits matter: germinating them into mushrooms is illegal cultivation, and even where spores themselves are unrestricted, selling or acquiring them for the purpose of producing hallucinogenic mushrooms can still be charged. (Spores are specifically banned only in California, Georgia, Idaho, and Florida — Florida is not among them; its Schedule I lists psilocybin and psilocyn but says nothing about spores or mycelium.)
Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria is not a controlled substance under Washington or federal law — its active compounds are muscimol and ibotenic acid, not psilocybin — and Louisiana remains the only state with an outright ban (Act 159, which carves out an exception for ornamental use). Two caveats matter. In December 2024 the FDA determined that amanita muscaria and muscimol are not approved for use in conventional foods, so edible amanita products (gummies, chocolates) sit in a regulatory gray zone even where the mushroom itself is unrestricted; the agency is still evaluating their use in dietary supplements. Separately, that FDA action followed poisoning outbreaks and at least one death linked to amanita extract products, and mislabeling has been a recurring problem — some products did not disclose amanita content on the packaging.
Recent changes
Feb 2026: SB 5921 (Sen. Jesse Salomon), which would create a state Medical Use of Psilocybin Program launching July 1, 2028 for adults 18+ whose clinician deems them appropriate candidates — the bill's findings cite conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder but leave eligibility to clinical judgment — won a majority 'do pass' from the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee on Feb 3, 2026 and was referred to Ways & Means on Feb 4. It never received a floor vote in either chamber, and it died there when the 60-day session adjourned; because 2026 was the second year of the 2025-26 biennium, it would have to be filed fresh in 2027. (Some coverage headlined this as 'senators approve' — that was the committee, not the full Senate.) Mar 24, 2026: the King County Council adopted a motion sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda backing continued research and the existing practice of deprioritizing enforcement for personal-use quantities of entheogens by adults — an expression of policy, not an ordinance legalizing anything. Jan 28, 2025: Tacoma deprioritized natural psychedelics. Aug 14, 2024: Olympia deprioritized plant- and fungus-based psychedelics. May 2023: SB 5263 was signed with a partial veto — Gov. Inslee struck 9 of its 14 sections, including the psilocybin advisory board, the interagency workgroup, and the Department of Health's rulemaking authority. What survived was a Health Care Authority psilocybin task force directed to report to the governor and legislature by Dec 1, 2023, and a University of Washington psilocybin therapy pilot program for first responders and veterans 21+ — but that pilot is expressly 'subject to amounts appropriated' and limited to pathways approved by the FDA, so it is a research channel, not a route to legal psilocybin in Washington.
Simple possession is a gross misdemeanor under RCW 69.50.4013 — up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 for a first or second offense, rising to up to 364 days for someone with two or more prior convictions dated after July 1, 2023 — with strong statutory emphasis on diverting cases into assessment and treatment instead of prosecution. Manufacturing or delivering psilocybin is a separate and far more serious felony charge.
Legal options for Washington residents
The nearest genuinely legal access is Oregon's licensed psilocybin service centers — open to any adult 21+ regardless of residency, with several in the Portland area just across the Columbia River — followed by Colorado's licensed healing centers. At home, microscopy spores, amanita muscaria, and functional mushrooms are legal to buy.
See also: can you buy magic mushrooms online legally? · shroom delivery: legal or scam?
FAQ
Are shrooms legal in Washington?
No. Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal to possess, grow, or sell anywhere in Washington as of 2026. Several jurisdictions — including Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, and King County — have made personal-use enforcement a lowest police priority, but that is a local policing policy, not legalization.
Is psilocybin decriminalized in Seattle?
Effectively yes, at the city level. In October 2021 the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to deprioritize enforcement against non-commercial use of entheogens like psilocybin. State and federal law still apply, so it is deprioritized rather than legal — sales and large-scale activity can still be prosecuted.
When will psilocybin be legal in Washington?
No date is set. The closest attempt so far, SB 5921 in the 2026 session, would have created a Medical Use of Psilocybin Program run by the Department of Health with a July 1, 2028 launch — open to adults 18+ referred by their clinician rather than limited to a fixed list of qualifying conditions — but it cleared only its first committee and died in Senate Ways & Means when the session adjourned without a floor vote. Because 2026 closed out the two-year biennium, the bill cannot simply be revived; a new version would have to be introduced in the 2027 session. Its sponsor has filed psilocybin bills repeatedly since 2022, so similar legislation is likely, but nothing is scheduled and no ballot measure on psilocybin has qualified in Washington.
Can Washington residents get legal psilocybin therapy in Oregon?
Yes. Oregon's licensed psilocybin service centers have no residency requirement, so adults 21 and older from Washington can legally book sessions with licensed facilitators there. Portland-area centers are a short trip from much of western Washington.
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- Washington State Legislature — SB 5921 (2026): Concerning psilocybin (bill status) (accessed 2026-07-28)
- Marijuana Moment — Washington State Senators Approve Bill To Legalize Psilocybin Therapy For Adults (Feb 4, 2026) (accessed 2026-07-28)
- Washington State Legislature — SB 5263 (2023): psilocybin task force and UW pilot study (signed with partial veto) (accessed 2026-07-29)
- 2SSB 5263 session law (Chapter 364, Laws of 2023) — enacted text plus the governor's partial-veto message vetoing Sections 1-5, 7, 10, 11 and 13 (accessed 2026-07-29)
- RCW 69.50.4013 — possession of a controlled substance: gross misdemeanor, 180-day cap for first two offenses, 364 days with two or more priors (accessed 2026-07-29)
- King County Council — Mar 24, 2026 motion (Mosqueda) supporting research and continued deprioritization of entheogens in personal-use quantities (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Florida Statutes 893.03 — Schedule I lists psilocybin and psilocyn but contains no spore or mycelium provision (checked to rule out a Florida spore ban) (accessed 2026-07-29)
- Psilocybin decriminalization in the United States — Wikipedia (local deprioritization measures) (accessed 2026-07-29)