Although the US has yet to make much progress when it comes to decriminalizing psilocybe cubensis mushrooms – despite all the new research suggesting its numerous benefits for treating depression and anxiety – the mushroom is not illegal everywhere. In fact, there are places in the world where you can not only use them freely for recreational purposes, but you can also get a license to sell them.
In the United States, if you want to use magic mushrooms, you have to go to places like Denver, Ann Arbor, Seattle and various parts of Michigan and California. Some cities have passed legislation that mostly decriminalizes psilocybin use, although the details really have to be considered carefully in each case. In some places you can buy bulk mushroom spores for research purposes only.
In other countries, things are a little less strict. If you go to Jamaica or the Bahamas, you’ll find that psilocybe cubensis mushrooms have always enjoyed a pretty safe status. Jamaica never made magic mushrooms illegal even at the height of the war on drugs, and since 2021 legal outlets for selling the mushrooms have also started to appear.
Legal loopholes have allowed psilocybin cubensis mushrooms to remain semi-legal in the Netherlands, where “smart shops” are allowed to sell them quite freely. Brazil is another country that allows magic mushroom use to be pretty much unrestricted. Although magic mushroom sales are still limited mostly to the informal market, Brazil’s initiative to legalize ayahuasca makes them one of the most progressive countries when it comes to decriminalizing psychedelic drugs that can actually help users improve their health.