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Seattle psilocybin A to Z: laws, names, places and terms

This index explains the laws, documents, people, places, species names and terms behind psilocybin in Seattle and Washington, each in one to three dated, sourced sentences. The short version: psilocybin is Schedule I and illegal to possess in Washington, and Seattle's 2021 resolution made it a low enforcement priority without making it legal.

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About this index

This index gathers the 80 terms, names, documents and places that recur in the almanac: Washington and Seattle laws by citation number, the people and institutions on the record, psilocybin species named in the region (naming history only) and the vocabulary of law and mycology. Each entry cites a numbered source, with dates where they apply, and linked terms lead to the almanac entry that covers them. Facts were checked on November 2, 2026, and anything that can change is stated as of that date. The index gives no legal or medical advice, identification features, locations or amounts. For events in order, see the timeline.

A

AIMS v. DEA
On February 13, 2025 the Ninth Circuit denied the AIMS Institute's petition for review, holding that DEA's refusal to exempt its Seattle co-director from registration so he could give psilocybin to terminally ill patients under the Right to Try Act was "neither arbitrary nor capricious."20
Amanita muscaria products
Goods sold as containing this mushroom or its compounds. The mushroom, muscimol and ibotenic acid are not listed in federal Schedule I,19 but on December 18, 2024 FDA said they are not authorized as ingredients in conventional food and called them "unapproved food additives."21
Amatoxin
A toxin in some deadly wild mushrooms. A 2021 study found it in all 24 Galerina marginata complex samples tested from western British Columbia,30 and the Washington Poison Center (1-800-222-1222) warns that the wrong mushroom can cause liver failure.25

B

Basionym
The legitimate, previously published name on which a new combination is based.35 Psilocybe semilanceata, placed in Psilocybe by Kummer in 1871, rests on Fries's Agaricus semilanceatus of 1818.34
Bigwood, Jeremy
Evergreen co-author of the 1980 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa paper,28 a leader of laboratory sessions at the 1977 Port Townsend conference43 and co-editor of Teonanácatl (1978), a book of extracts from it.45
Breakthrough Therapy designation
An FDA designation. Seattle's Resolution 32021 (2021) and King County's Motion 16962 (2026) both recite that FDA designated psilocybin-assisted therapy a breakthrough therapy for treatment-resistant depression in 2018 and major depressive disorder in 2019.1115
British Columbia decriminalization pilot
An exemption from Canada's federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for adults 18 and over, in force from January 31, 2023 until it expired on January 31, 2026. It covered small amounts of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA; psilocybin was not on the list.24

C

CB 120586
Seattle bill to add drug possession and public use to the city code; it failed 4 to 5 on June 6, 2023.14 Ordinance 126896 adopted those offenses that September.13
Class C felony
The grade, under RCW 69.50.401(2)(c), for manufacturing or delivering a Schedule I non-narcotic such as psilocybin, or possessing it with intent to, as of November 2, 2026.3
Colorado Natural Medicine Division
Colorado Department of Revenue division that issued "the state's first healing center business license" on March 31, 2025.23 Colorado's regulated natural medicine system began with Proposition 122.6

D

Decriminalization
Removing criminal penalties by law. Seattle's council stated its "support for full decriminalization" of entheogens in 2021,11 but possessing psilocybin remains a crime in Washington as of November 2, 2026.2
Deprioritization
Declaring enforcement a low priority without changing the law, as Seattle did in 2021 ("lowest enforcement priorities")11 and Jefferson County, Olympia, Tacoma and King County did from 2023 to 2026.16171815
Diversion
Referral to assessment or treatment instead of prosecution or booking. RCW 69.50.4013 encourages it,2 and Seattle's 2023 ordinance calls diversion, treatment and other alternatives to booking "the preferred approach."13

E

Entheogen
In Seattle's Resolution 32021 (2021), plant or fungal material "including, but not limited to, psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca tea, mescaline, and iboga," with peyote excluded.11
Epitype
A specimen or illustration chosen as an interpretative type when a name's original type material is demonstrably ambiguous and cannot be critically identified.35 Psilocybe cyanescens received an epitype from Germany in 2012.34
ESB 5476
Washington's 2021 stopgap after State v. Blake: it made knowing possession a misdemeanor, with referral to treatment, until July 1, 2023.8
Evergreen State College, The
Olympia college of Jerry Boydston, co-author of a 1976 Northwest mushroom survey,27 and of Paul Stamets, Michael Beug and Jeremy Bigwood, co-authors of a 1980 species description.28

F

First Psychotropic Mushroom Foray (1976)
A 1976 gathering that the Puget Sound Mycological Society's December 1976 bulletin reported as "The First Psychotropic Mushroom Foray": about 120 people attended, with presentations by Gastón Guzmán, R. Gordon Wasson and Evergreen student Paul Stamets.42
Fort Worden State Park
Port Townsend park that hosted the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, October 27 to 30, 1977,45 with over 260 registrants, lawyers and DEA agents among them.43
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle cancer center that serves as UW Medicine's cancer program. Its March 25, 2026 Science Spotlight covers a phase 1/2 study of group psilocybin retreats for people with metastatic cancer (52 participants in eight retreats), and Fred Hutch reports "clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety and depression" that "persisted for at least six months."38

G

Galerina marginata
A deadly amatoxin mushroom,30 named by Kühner in 1935 from Batsch's Agaricus marginatus of 1789.34 Weil warned in 1977 that Galerina species "present some danger to people looking for psilocybin mushrooms."29
Gross misdemeanor
Washington's grade for knowing possession or public use of psilocybin since July 1, 2023: up to 180 days in jail, a fine up to $1,000 or both, or up to 364 days for someone with two or more prior possession or public-use convictions after that date.27
Guzmán, Gastón
Mexico City mycologist who named Psilocybe stuntzii with Jonathan Ott (Mycologia, 1976),26 was foray mycologist at the 1976 psychotropic mushroom foray and led laboratory sessions at Port Townsend in 1977.4243

H

Hofmann, Albert
With R. Gordon Wasson and Professor Ruck of Boston University, presented a new hypothesis on the Mysteries of Eleusis at the 1977 Port Townsend conference.43 A 1976 survey cites Hofmann and colleagues (1963), with one other paper, for demonstrating psilocybin in Psilocybe semilanceata.27
Holotype
The one specimen or illustration designated in a name's protologue as its type, or used by the author when none was designated.35 The Psilocybe stuntzii holotype, collected by Daniel Stuntz in 1973, is at WTU.2634

I

I-502
Initiative 502, approved November 6, 2012, legalized adult cannabis under state law. It is part of the history of RCW 69.50.4013, whose possession exemption covers useable cannabis, cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused products for adults 21 and over; psilocybin stayed in Schedule I.21

J

Jefferson County Resolution 19-23
Adopted May 1, 2023, it asks that investigating, arresting and prosecuting adults for entheogen-related activities "when ingested out of view of the public" be among the county's lowest law enforcement priorities.16

K

King County Motion 16962
Passed 6 to 2 on March 24, 2026, it requests that investigating, arresting and prosecuting adults 21 and over for limited, noncommercial cultivation and possession of naturally occurring entheogens be among "King County's lowest criminal enforcement priorities." It says nothing in it may "alter, supersede, or limit the application of state or federal law."15

L

Liberty Caps
A name documented in 1976 for two species "widely consumed throughout western Washington": Psilocybe semilanceata and P. pelliculosa.27

M

Measure 109
Oregon's psilocybin services measure, adopted November 3, 2020 with 55.75 percent; final rules followed on December 27, 2022.6
Microdose.me study
App study with the University of British Columbia and Vancouver's Quantified Citizen, co-authored by Paul Stamets; its 2022 paper observed 953 microdosers and 180 comparators and declared commercial ties.31
Microdosing
Repeatedly taking a psychedelic in amounts meant to stay below a full experience. A 2026 systematic review of 24 studies, six of them pooled in meta-analyses, found that randomized trials "showed no clear evidence of immediate symptom reduction" in healthy adults.32

O

Olympia Resolution M-2549
Adopted August 13, 2024: entheogen-related activities "should be a City of Olympia low enforcement priority," and no city funds or resources "should be used for investigation, prosecution, or arrest" of people possessing or using entheogenic plants or fungi.17
Ordinance 126896
Seattle law signed September 20, 2023 adopting the state possession and public-use offenses and Schedule I (cannabis excepted), so possessing psilocybin is also a city gross misdemeanor.13
Oregon Psilocybin Services
Licensed under Measure 109: as of November 2, 2026, adults 21 and over need no Oregon residency or prescription but may buy and consume psilocybin only in a session at a licensed center, taking nothing off-site.22
Ott, Jonathan
A University of Washington student in February 197541 who named Psilocybe stuntzii with Guzmán (Mycologia, 1976),26 co-organized the 1977 Port Townsend conference43 and co-edited Teonanácatl (1978).45

P

Pacific Science Center
Seattle science center whose then-director, Dixie Lee Ray, helped found the Puget Sound Mycological Society in 1964.39
Panaeolus subbalteatus
Named by Saccardo in 1887 from Berkeley and Broome's Agaricus subbalteatus of 1861.34 A 1976 survey reported it in use "in various parts of Washington."27 The species entry files those reports under Panaeolus cinctulus, the name later studies often use.
PIVOT
VA phase 3 psilocybin trial in veterans with treatment-resistant depression, begun August 3, 2026 with 240 planned at five sites, including VA Puget Sound (recruiting as of November 2, 2026).37
Port Townsend
Jefferson County city that hosted the 1977 hallucinogenic mushroom conference43 and passed an entheogen resolution on December 20, 2021.16
Proposition 122
Colorado's Natural Medicine Health Act, passed November 8, 2022 with 53.64 percent;6 the state licensed its first healing center on March 31, 2025.23
Protologue
Everything associated with a name at its valid publication, such as the description, illustrations, references and cited specimens.35 For Psilocybe stuntzii, it is Guzmán and Ott's 1976 Mycologia paper.26
Psilocin
A compound related to psilocybin, spelled "psilocyn" in Washington and federal Schedule I (DEA code 7438).119 A 1980 paper found 1978 herbarium collections had lost most of both compounds.28
Psilocybe allenii
Named by Borovička, Rockefeller and Werner in Czech Mycology in 2012; Index Fungorum gives its type location as Washington.34
Psilocybe azurescens
Named by Paul Stamets and J. Gartz in 1995; Index Fungorum records its holotype at WTU in Seattle.3444
Psilocybe baeocystis
Described by Singer and A. H. Smith in Mycologia in 1958 from a 1945 Oregon collection.34
Psilocybe cyanescens
Described by Wakefield from Great Britain in 1946, with a German epitype designated in 2012.34 By 1976 it had "lately begun to be used" in Washington.27
Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa
Named by Guzmán and Stamets in a 1980 Mycotaxon paper by three Evergreen authors and Guzmán; the type is cited from King County.28
Psilocybe pelliculosa
Published by A. H. Smith in 1937 as Psathyra pelliculosa and moved to Psilocybe in 1958;34 one of the two Liberty Caps named in 1976.27
"Psilocybe pugetensis"
Not a species: Guzmán and Ott wrote in 1976 that a book had introduced this "spurious epithet" for "a nonexistent entity."26
Psilocybe semilanceata
Named by Fries in 1818 and placed in Psilocybe by Kummer in 1871.34 A 1976 survey stated that it was "here reported from Washington for the first time."27
Psilocybe stuntzii
Named by Guzmán and Ott "in honor of Dr. Daniel E. Stuntz" in a Mycologia paper dated 1976 (Index Fungorum gives 1977 as the year of publication), from a 1973 holotype collected at the University of Washington and kept at WTU.2634
Psilocybe washingtonensis
Published by A. H. Smith in 1946; Index Fungorum gives Washington as its type location.34
Psilocybin
Listed in Schedule I under Washington law and federal law (DEA code 7437) as of November 2, 2026.119 A 1980 paper found that its levels varied from one collection of P. cyanofibrillosa to another.28
Psilocybin Task Force
Health Care Authority task force created by Washington's 2023 psilocybin law, effective May 9, 2023, with a report due December 1, 2023.5
PsiloStudy
University of Washington phase 2 trial (NCT06853912) of psilocybin for veterans and first responders with PTSD and alcohol use disorder: begun June 1, 2025, about 40 planned, active and not recruiting at its August 13, 2026 update.36
Public use
A separate offense from possession: knowingly using a controlled substance in a public place, also a gross misdemeanor under RCW 69.50.4013 as of November 2, 2026.2
Puget Sound Mycological Society (PSMS)
Mushroom society founded in 1964 with Daniel Stuntz among its founders.39 Its December 1976 bulletin urged members to "caution people about using hallucinogenic mushrooms."42

R

RCW 69.50.204
Washington's Schedule I list, including "(28) Psilocybin" and "(29) Psilocyn"; its history note traces the section to 1971 (1971 ex.s. c 308).1
RCW 69.50.401
Washington's manufacture and delivery statute; subsection (2)(c) makes the offense a class C felony for Schedule I non-narcotics such as psilocybin.3
RCW 69.50.4013
Washington's possession and public-use statute: a gross misdemeanor since July 1, 2023, with the prosecutor "encouraged to divert such cases."2 An earlier version was struck down in State v. Blake.4
Resolution 32021
Adopted 9 to 0 by the Seattle City Council on October 4, 2021; Legistar lists Councilmember Andrew Lewis as its sponsor.12 It declares that investigating, arresting and prosecuting anyone for entheogen-related activities "should be among The City of Seattle's lowest enforcement priorities," and it amends no code, stating instead the Council's "intent to advance legislation."11

S

Salomon, Jesse
Washington state senator, first-named sponsor of the 2023 psilocybin bill6 and prime sponsor of SB 5921, the 2026 medical psilocybin bill.9
SB 5263
Washington's 2023 psilocybin law (2SSB 5263), signed with a partial veto on May 9, 2023: a task force, protection for clinicians who recommend psilocybin therapy services and a University of Washington pilot, subject to funding.56 The veto removed a planned psilocybin advisory board and interagency work group, and possession stayed a crime.62
SB 5536
The 2023 response to Blake (2E2SSB 5536), signed May 16, 2023, making knowing possession and public use gross misdemeanors from July 1, 2023.7
SB 5921
Proposed Washington Medical Psilocybin Act (2026) for clinician-administered psilocybin for adults 18 and over with qualifying conditions.9 The Senate health committee recommended "do pass" on February 3, 2026, and the bill was referred to Ways and Means the next day, with no later action recorded as of November 2, 2026.10
Schedule I
The schedule that lists psilocybin and psilocyn under federal law (21 CFR 1308.11) and Washington law (RCW 69.50.204) as of November 2, 2026.191
Stamets, Paul
Evergreen student who presented at the 1976 psychotropic mushroom foray,42 co-author of Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa (1980)28 and P. azurescens (1995),34 and inventor on the 2017 Stamets stack patent application.33
Stamets stack
Psilocybin combined with lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) and niacin.31 Paul Stamets's patent application on such combinations was filed April 23, 2017 and published January 25, 2018.33 A 2022 app study found the additions did not change mood or mental health outcomes.31
State v. Blake
Washington Supreme Court ruling of February 25, 2021 that "the strict liability felony drug possession statute" violated due process and "is void."4 The Legislature answered with ESB 5476 and SB 5536.8
Stuntz, Daniel E.
University of Washington professor of botany who lived from 1909 to 1983,40 a founder of PSMS in 196439 and the honoree of the name Psilocybe stuntzii.26

T

Tacoma Resolution 41609
Adopted January 28, 2025: entheogen-related activities by adults "should be among the City's lowest law enforcement priorities."18
Teonanácatl
A book of extracts from the 1977 Port Townsend conference, edited by Jonathan Ott and Jeremy Bigwood and published in Seattle by Madrona Publishers in 1978.45
Type locality
Where a name's type specimen came from, as published; for Psilocybe stuntzii, "Universita Washington, Seattle."26 The almanac gives no finer location than city, campus or county.

V

VA Puget Sound
Seattle Division of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, one of five PIVOT sites, recruiting as of November 2, 2026.37

W

Washington Blue Veil
A common name for Psilocybe stuntzii reported by Andrew Weil in 1977.29
Washington Poison Center
The state's 24-hour poison line, 1-800-222-1222. Its July 23, 2025 mushroom notice says to call right away if nausea, vomiting or diarrhea starts.25
Wasson, R. Gordon
Recounted the rediscovery of the Mexican mushroom rites at the 1976 psychotropic mushroom foray42 and joined Albert Hofmann and Professor Ruck of Boston University in presenting an Eleusis hypothesis at Port Townsend in 1977.43
Weil, Andrew
Author of a June 30, 1977 report in Harvard's Botanical Museum Leaflets on psychoactive mushroom use in the Pacific Northwest.29 Guzmán and Ott wrote in 1976 that his 1975 article misidentified P. stuntzii as P. cyanescens.26
WTU
Index Herbariorum code for the University of Washington Herbarium at the Burke Museum in Seattle, whose collections "currently include more than 700,000 specimens," the Burke says (another part of its page gives more than 660,000).44 It holds the holotypes of Psilocybe stuntzii and P. azurescens.2634

Sources

  1. RCW 69.50.204, Schedule I. Washington State Legislature, checked November 2, 2026.
  2. RCW 69.50.4013, possession of a controlled substance. Washington State Legislature, checked November 2, 2026.
  3. RCW 69.50.401, prohibited acts and penalties. Washington State Legislature, checked November 2, 2026.
  4. State v. Blake, No. 96873-0, slip opinion. Washington Supreme Court, February 25, 2021.
  5. 2SSB 5263, chapter 364, Laws of 2023 (session law). Washington State Legislature, 2023.
  6. Final bill report, 2SSB 5263. Washington State Senate, 2023.
  7. 2E2SSB 5536, chapter 1, Laws of 2023, 1st special session (session law). Washington State Legislature, 2023.
  8. Final bill report, 2E2SSB 5536. Washington State Senate, 2023.
  9. Senate bill report, SB 5921, as reported by the Health and Long-Term Care committee. Washington State Senate, February 3, 2026.
  10. SB 5921 status history. Washington State Legislature web services, checked November 2, 2026.
  11. Resolution 32021, signed text. Seattle City Council, October 4, 2021.
  12. Vote record, Resolution 32021 and sponsor list. Seattle Legistar, October 4, 2021, checked November 2, 2026.
  13. Ordinance 126896, signed text. City of Seattle, September 20, 2023.
  14. Vote record, Council Bill 120586. Seattle Legistar, June 6, 2023.
  15. Motion 16962, signed. Metropolitan King County Council, March 24, 2026.
  16. Resolution No. 19-23, signed. Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, May 1, 2023.
  17. Resolution M-2549, signed. Olympia City Council, August 13, 2024.
  18. Resolution No. 41609, text and Legistar action record (adopted January 28, 2025). City of Tacoma, checked November 2, 2026.
  19. 21 CFR 1308.11, Schedule I. eCFR, checked November 2, 2026.
  20. AIMS v. DEA, No. 22-1568, opinion. US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, February 13, 2025.
  21. Constituent update on Amanita muscaria in food. US Food and Drug Administration, December 18, 2024.
  22. How to access psilocybin services. Oregon Health Authority, checked November 2, 2026.
  23. Colorado's first healing center license, press release. Colorado Department of Revenue, April 2, 2025.
  24. Decriminalization in BC. BC Centre for Disease Control, checked November 2, 2026; and Decriminalization of People Who Use Drugs in BC, fact sheet. Government of British Columbia, version June 28, 2024.
  25. A mushroom PSA from our Fun-Guys and Gals. Washington Poison Center, July 23, 2025.
  26. Guzmán G, Ott J. Description and chemical analysis of a new species of hallucinogenic Psilocybe from the Pacific Northwest. Mycologia 68(6): 1261-1267, 1976 (protologue of Psilocybe stuntzii). PMID 1034878.
  27. Guzmán G, Ott J, Boydston J, Pollock SH. Psychotropic mycoflora of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California and British Columbia. Mycologia 68(6): 1267-1272, 1976.
  28. Stamets PE, Beug MW, Bigwood JE, Guzmán G. A new species and a new variety of Psilocybe from North America. Mycotaxon 11(2): 476-484, July to September 1980.
  29. Weil AT. The use of psychoactive mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest: an ethnopharmacologic report. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 25(5): 131-149, June 30, 1977.
  30. Landry B, et al. Phylogenetic analysis of the distribution of deadly amatoxins among the little brown mushrooms of the genus Galerina. PLoS One 16(2): e0246575, February 10, 2021. PMID 33566818.
  31. Rootman JM, et al. Psilocybin microdosers demonstrate greater observed improvements in mood and mental health at one month relative to non-microdosing controls. Sci Rep 12: 11091, June 30, 2022. PMID 35773270.
  32. Meshkat S, et al. Efficacy and safety of psychedelic microdosing on psychological outcomes in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CNS Drugs 40(10): 1369-1393, 2026. PMID 42593636.
  33. US 2018/0021326 A1, inventor Paul Edward Stamets. Google Patents, published January 25, 2018.
  34. Index Fungorum, records 144051, 176403, 232492, 253217, 273828, 290108, 290120, 304477, 304491, 321952, 446057, 454300, 455961, 564115 and 590115, read November 2, 2026.
  35. International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Madrid Code), online edition: Glossary and Article 9. International Association for Plant Taxonomy, checked November 2, 2026.
  36. NCT06853912, PsiloStudy. ClinicalTrials.gov, record updated August 13, 2026.
  37. NCT07226232, Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression (PIVOT). ClinicalTrials.gov, record updated October 23, 2026, checked November 2, 2026.
  38. A group retreat model for psilocybin therapy in cancer care, Science Spotlight. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, March 25, 2026.
  39. History of PSMS. Puget Sound Mycological Society.
  40. Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation. Puget Sound Mycological Society.
  41. PSMS bulletin No. 109. Puget Sound Mycological Society, February 1975.
  42. PSMS bulletin No. 127. Puget Sound Mycological Society, December 1976.
  43. PSMS bulletin No. 138. Puget Sound Mycological Society, January 1978.
  44. Plants and fungi collections. Burke Museum, checked November 2, 2026; and Index Herbariorum record for WTU. New York Botanical Garden, checked November 2, 2026.
  45. Ott J, Bigwood J, eds. Teonanácatl: Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of North America: extracts from the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, held October 27-30, 1977, near Port Townsend, Washington. Madrona Publishers, Seattle, 1978. Open Library record OL6802475W.

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