What’s the legal status of psilocybin in  general?

For now, in the world, there are a few countries where psilocybe mushrooms are either legal or tolerated. In the United States, there are a few states where consumption is now legal, the trend is to accelerate the legalization or decriminalization of psilocybin because with the monstrous amount of positive information it is becoming difficult for governments to ignore the benefits of this natural substance. 

Is psilocybin legal in Canada? 

In Canada psilocybin is illegal except with a production license issued by the Canadian government but there are nuances to know, Health Canada recognized the benefits of psilocybin in January 2021 and allows certain patients diagnosed with specific pathologies to have access to psilocybin treatment with medical prescription. 

In the province of British Columbia, psilocybin is now sold in street stores and it has been for about 2 years. The local police tolerate over-the-counter sales and the local government is working towards full legalization of this substance in 2023. The Vancouver Police Department admits that they are focusing on hard drugs and not on psilocybe mushrooms due to an impending change in legislation. 

In Ontario, since October 2022, there are now also physical sales points on the street that are tolerated by the local authority. 

We can compare the current situation with the legalization of cannabis, many doctors have already sent petitions to the government for the total legalization of psilocybin and as Health  Canada has already recognized the beneficial effects of psilocybin treatments, it is only a  matter of time before the Canadian legislation approves the use of psilocybin. 

Where is psilocybin legal? 

Here is the legal status of psilocybin in North America. 

Canada: Ambiguous, partially legal, and decriminalized. 

United States: from illegal to legal for medical use and decriminalized (each state has its own legislation). 

Countries where psilocybin is fully legal: 

-Austria 

-Bahamas 

-Brazil 

-British Virgin Islands 

-Jamaica 

-Nepal 

-Netherlands 

-Samoa 

Countries where psilocybin is tolerated: 

-Cambodia 

-Canada 

-Chile 

-Croatia 

-Cyprus 

-Czech Republic 

-Greece 

-India 

-Indonesia 

-Israel 

-Italy 

-Laos 

-Mexico 

-Philippines 

-Slovakia 

-Slovenia 

-Spain 

-Switzerland

-Thailand 

-United States 

-Uruguay 

-Vietnam 

Why is psilocybin not legal everywhere yet? 

The Canadian government and many other countries around the world are under a lot of pressure from doctors, patients, psychiatric institutions, police forces, and ordinary citizens to make psilocybin completely legal.

As any legislation requires a moment to change it, in Canada things are moving quickly since Health Canada has recognized the benefits of psilocybin. The path to full legalization should follow the logical order of things, that is to say, full decriminalization of possession first followed by the sale and cultivation. It remains to be seen if the government will want to regulate the cultivation or the sale, the future will tell us.