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Psilocybin in Seattle and Washington: a dated timeline, 1937 to 2026

Psilocybin has been a Schedule I drug in Washington since May 21, 1971, and it still is: Seattle's 2021 resolution made enforcement a low priority but didn't make possession legal. This timeline records 140 dated events from 1937 to 2026, each linked to the record it was checked against.

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Plate 1.AI illustration in the style of a wood engraving: calendar pages and pinned notes joined by red string on a wall above a filing cabinet.
In this entry
  1. Seattle's psilocybin history in six dates
  2. The timeline
  3. Turning points
  4. How the timeline is built
  5. Questions people ask
  6. Sources

Seattle's psilocybin history in six dates

Psilocybin has been a Schedule I drug in Washington since May 21, 1971, and still is,12 and knowing possession is a gross misdemeanor.3 A 1967 state law had already made possessing psilocin without a prescription unlawful.13 Seattle's 2021 resolution made enforcement a low priority without changing the law.4 Six dates carry most of the story:

  1. On May 21, 1971, Washington's Uniform Controlled Substances Act took effect, with psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I.1
  2. In a journal issue dated late 1976, Gastón Guzmán and Jonathan Ott named Psilocybe stuntzii, described from a University of Washington campus specimen, for UW botanist Daniel E. Stuntz.5
  3. On February 25, 2021, the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state's drug possession statute in State v. Blake.6
  4. On October 4, 2021, the Seattle City Council voted 9 to 0 for Resolution 32021, putting entheogens, psilocybin mushrooms included, among the city's lowest enforcement priorities.4
  5. On September 20, 2023, Seattle wrote the state's new possession crime into city code, with no exception for psilocybin.7
  6. On March 24, 2026, the King County Council voted 6 to 2 for Motion 16962, asking for the same low priority in unincorporated King County.8

The timeline

Filter by kind of event, or search for a name, a place or a bill number. Each entry is dated as precisely as its source allows and links to that source. The history entry tells the story as a narrative; see also the wild species, the research register and myths checked.

140 dated events.

    1. 1937 January

      Alexander H. Smith described Psathyra pelliculosa from Oregon in Mycologia; renamed Psilocybe pelliculosa in 1958, it was one of two species called Liberty Caps in western Washington by 1976.

      ScienceOregonSource: Smith AH. New and unusual agarics from the western United States. Mycologia 29(1), 1937

    1. 1946 1946

      Alexander H. Smith named Psilocybe washingtonensis and Psilocybe angustispora, two species described from Washington.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Index Fungorum, Psilocybe washingtonensis A.H. Sm. (1946)

    1. 1958 January

      Rolf Singer and Alexander H. Smith described Psilocybe baeocystis and Psilocybe strictipes from Oregon collections in Mycologia.

      ScienceOregonSource: Singer R, Smith AH. New species of Psilocybe. Mycologia 50(1), 1958

    1. 1960 1960

      A 6-year-old child died after a mushroom poisoning in Milwaukie, Oregon; Andrew Weil wrote in 1977 that Psilocybe baeocystis was implicated, citing a 1962 medical report on convulsions from Psilocybe poisoning.

      Wild mushroomsOregonSource: Weil AT. Botanical Museum Leaflets 25(5), 1977, citing McCawley EL, et al. Proc West Pharmacol Soc 5, 1962

    1. 1962 April

      Robert G. Benedict, Lynn R. Brady and Varro E. Tyler Jr. reported finding psilocin in Psilocybe baeocystis in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

      SciencePacific NorthwestSource: Benedict RG, Brady LR, Tyler VE Jr. J Pharm Sci 51, 1962. PMID 13867140

    1. 1964 April

      The Puget Sound Mycological Society issued its first bulletin, announcing its corporate charter and 108 members, with University of Washington botanist Daniel E. Stuntz as technical advisor on its field trips.

      CultureSeattleSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society, Bulletin No. 1 (April 1964)

    2. 1964 October 24

      The Puget Sound Mycological Society opened its First Annual Mushroom Exhibit, the start of the yearly show it now calls the Wild Mushroom Show.

      CultureSeattleSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society, Bulletin No. 5 (October 7, 1964)

    1. 1965 July 15

      Congress enacted the Drug Abuse Control Amendments of 1965, extending federal controls to depressant and stimulant drugs, a category that covered drugs found to have a potential for abuse because of a hallucinogenic effect.

      LawFederalSource: Public Law 89-74, 79 Stat. 226

    1. 1967 March 21

      Washington added psilocin, lysergic acid, mescaline, peyote, dimethyltryptamine and drugs with a federally recognized hallucinogenic potential for abuse to its dangerous drug law, making possession without a prescription unlawful; the act took effect when the governor approved it.

      LawWashingtonSource: Laws of 1967, chapter 71 (Engrossed House Bill 353)

    1. 1970 October 27

      President Nixon approved the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, whose Controlled Substances Act placed psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I.

      LawFederalSource: Public Law 91-513, 84 Stat. 1236

    1. 1971 1971

      The Evergreen State College opened in Olympia, later the academic home of several of the region's psilocybin mushroom researchers, including Michael Beug and Paul Stamets.

      CultureOlympiaSource: The Evergreen State College, History

    2. 1971 May 1

      Most of the federal Controlled Substances Act took effect, completing the federal framework that has kept psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I since 1970.

      LawFederalSource: Public Law 91-513, sec. 704

    3. 1971 May 21

      Washington's Uniform Controlled Substances Act was approved by the governor and took effect immediately, listing psilocybin and psilocyn in the state's Schedule I.

      LawWashingtonSource: Laws of 1971, 1st Ex. Sess., chapter 308

    1. 1973 1973

      Students at the University of Washington began eating a then-unnamed Psilocybe found on campus, later named Psilocybe stuntzii, and use spread after a student newspaper article called the mushrooms dangerous, according to the species description.

      CultureSeattleSource: Guzmán G, Ott J. Mycologia 68(6): 1261-1267, 1976

    2. 1973 1973

      Andrew Weil bought so-called psilocybin mushrooms in Eugene, Oregon, said to come from Washington, and laboratory analysis found LSD and PCP in them.

      CultureOregonSource: Weil AT. The use of psychoactive mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest, 1977

    1. 1974 1974

      Recreational use of Psilocybe stuntzii spread to The Evergreen State College campus in Olympia, according to the species' 1976 description.

      CultureOlympiaSource: Guzmán G, Ott J. Mycologia 68(6): 1261-1267, 1976

    1. 1975 February 10

      The Puget Sound Mycological Society's February bulletin announced a talk by Jonathan Ott, then a University of Washington student, on the history of hallucinogenic mushroom use, set for its February 10 meeting at the Pacific Science Center.

      CultureSeattleSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 109 (February 1975)

    2. 1975 March

      Lynn R. Brady, University of Washington mycologist Daniel E. Stuntz and colleagues identified Conocybe filaris as a toxic mushroom in the journal Lloydia.

      Wild mushroomsWashingtonSource: Brady LR, et al. Lloydia 38(2), 1975. PMID 1169671

    1. 1976 October

      About 120 people attended the First Psychotropic Mushroom Foray, held near Olympia over Halloween weekend, with talks by R. Gordon Wasson, Gastón Guzmán, Jonathan Ott and Evergreen student Paul Stamets.

      CultureOlympiaSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 127 (December 1976)

    2. 1976 November

      Gastón Guzmán and Jonathan Ott described Psilocybe stuntzii in a Mycologia issue dated November-December 1976, based on a specimen from the University of Washington campus, and named it for UW botanist Daniel E. Stuntz; Index Fungorum dates its actual publication to 1977.

      ScienceSeattleSource: Guzmán G, Ott J. Mycologia 68(6): 1261-1267. PMID 1034878

    3. 1976 November

      A regional survey in Mycologia reported Psilocybe semilanceata from Washington for what it called the first time and described Liberty Caps as widely consumed in western Washington.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Guzmán G, Ott J, Boydston J, Pollock SH. Mycologia 68(6): 1267-1272, 1976

    4. 1976 December

      The Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter urged members to warn people against eating hallucinogenic mushrooms after members sent clippings about young people picking Psilocybe mushrooms, some of whom needed emergency medical care.

      Wild mushroomsWashingtonSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 127 (December 1976)

    1. 1977 June 30

      Andrew Weil published an ethnopharmacologic report on psychoactive mushroom use in the Pacific Northwest, recording the local name Washington Blue Veil for Psilocybe stuntzii.

      CulturePacific NorthwestSource: Weil AT. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 25(5), 1977

    2. 1977 October

      More than 260 people registered for the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, held in Port Townsend over Halloween weekend and organized by Jonathan Ott and Preston Wheaton of Olympia, with speakers including R. Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann.

      CulturePort TownsendSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 138 (January 1978)

    3. 1977 November 21

      The Puget Sound Mycological Society board heard that it was getting more identification requests than in other years, with the genus Psilocybe especially popular, including a sample the Lewis County Sheriff's Office sent after young people were arrested for trespassing.

      EnforcementWashingtonSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 138 (January 1978)

    1. 1978 1978

      Madrona Publishers of Seattle published Teonanácatl: Hallucinogenic Mushrooms of North America, edited by Jonathan Ott and Jeremy Bigwood, with extracts from the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, held October 27 to 30, 1977, near Port Townsend.

      CultureSeattleSource: Open Library, Teonanácatl (Madrona Publishers, Seattle, 1978)

    2. 1978 1978

      Homestead Book Company of Seattle published Psilocybe Mushrooms & Their Allies, a book by Paul Stamets.

      CultureSeattleSource: Open Library, Psilocybe Mushrooms & Their Allies (Homestead, Seattle, 1978)

    3. 1978 October

      A Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter noted local news reports of people arrested for picking mushrooms on private property, with sheriffs sending the mushrooms to laboratories for testing.

      EnforcementWashingtonSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 145 (October 1978)

    4. 1978 October

      Gastón Guzmán and Alexander H. Smith described three new Northwest Psilocybe species in Mycotaxon, including Psilocybe subfimetaria from Vancouver, British Columbia.

      SciencePacific NorthwestSource: Guzmán G, Smith AH. Mycotaxon 7(3): 515-520, 1978

    1. 1979 October

      A Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter article described an alarming incidence of young people seeking magic mushrooms, followed by arrests and convictions for trespassing.

      EnforcementWashingtonSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 155 (October 1979)

    1. 1980 1980

      Paul Stamets founded Fungi Perfecti, a mushroom company based in the Olympia area.

      CultureOlympiaSource: Fungi Perfecti, Our Story

    2. 1980 July

      Paul Stamets, Michael Beug and Jeremy Bigwood of The Evergreen State College, with Gastón Guzmán, described Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa from King County, Washington.

      ScienceKing CountySource: Stamets PE, Beug MW, Bigwood JE, Guzmán G. Mycotaxon 11(2), 1980

    1. 1981 1981

      The Washington Supreme Court in State v. Cleppe read the state's drug possession statute as requiring no proof of knowledge, making possession a strict liability crime.

      LawWashingtonSource: State v. Blake slip opinion, recounting State v. Cleppe (1981)

    2. 1981 March 27

      Michael Beug and Jeremy Bigwood published a laboratory method for measuring psilocybin and psilocin in Psilocybe baeocystis in the Journal of Chromatography.

      SciencePacific NorthwestSource: Beug MW, Bigwood J. J Chromatogr 207(3), 1981. PMID 7194879

    1. 1982 May

      Michael Beug and Jeremy Bigwood reported psilocybin in seven of twenty wild Pacific Northwest mushroom species tested, with levels varying more than sevenfold between collections.

      SciencePacific NorthwestSource: Beug MW, Bigwood J. J Ethnopharmacol 5(3), 1982. PMID 7201053

    1. 1983 March 5

      Daniel E. Stuntz, the University of Washington mycologist the Puget Sound Mycological Society called its founder and scientific adviser, died at age 73.

      ScienceSeattleSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter, No. 191 (April 1983)

    1. 1985 1985

      Friends and colleagues established the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation to support mycology in the Pacific Northwest.

      CultureSeattleSource: Puget Sound Mycological Society, Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation

    1. 1992 1992

      A researcher at Seattle's Children's Hospital and Medical Center described nine infants and children poisoned by Amanita pantherina or Amanita muscaria, all of whom recovered.

      Wild mushroomsSeattleSource: Benjamin DR. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 30(1), 1992. PMID 1347320

    1. 1993 1993

      Jonathan Ott published his book Pharmacotheon through Natural Products Company of Kennewick, Washington.

      CultureWashingtonSource: Open Library, Pharmacotheon (Natural Products Co., Kennewick, 1993)

    1. 1995 1995

      Paul Stamets and Jochen Gartz described Psilocybe azurescens from Oregon, with its holotype held at the University of Washington herbarium in Seattle.

      SciencePacific NorthwestSource: Index Fungorum, Psilocybe azurescens Stamets & Gartz (1995)

    1. 2004 July 1

      Washington's simple drug possession offense was recodified as RCW 69.50.4013, the statute the state Supreme Court would strike down in State v. Blake in 2021.

      LawWashingtonSource: RCW 2.48.180, notes (effective date of 2003 c 53)

    1. 2012 November 6

      Washington voters approved Initiative 502, legalizing adult cannabis possession, while psilocybin and psilocyn stayed in the state's Schedule I.

      LawWashingtonSource: RCW 69.50.4013, history note

    2. 2012 December 7

      Jan Borovička, Alan Rockefeller and Peter G. Werner described Psilocybe allenii as a new species from the Pacific Coast; herbarium records place its type material on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, collected in 2009.

      ScienceSeattleSource: Borovička J, Rockefeller A, Werner PG. Czech Mycology 64(2), 2012

    1. 2015 October

      The Washington State Patrol Toxicology Laboratory published a case review of what it called the first analytically confirmed 25I-NBOMe-related death in Washington State, a case that also involved psilocin.

      ResearchWashingtonSource: Lowe LM, et al. J Anal Toxicol 39(8), 2015. PMID 26378143

    1. 2016 July

      Paul Stamets of Olympia filed a provisional US patent application on combining psilocybin or psilocin with lion's mane compounds and niacin, the basis of the Stamets stack.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 2018/0021326 A1 (provisional 62/365,982)

    1. 2017 April 18

      Willamette Week reported that some estimated a few thousand Portland residents were microdosing and that a Portland psychedelic society would host the Microdosing & Psychedelic Stories Tour.

      CultureOregonSource: Willamette Week, April 18, 2017

    2. 2017 April 23

      Paul Stamets filed US patent application 15/494,503 on psilocybin or psilocin combined with lion's mane compounds and niacin.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 2018/0021326 A1

    1. 2018 January 25

      The US Patent Office published Stamets's application on psilocybin, lion's mane compounds and niacin as US 2018/0021326 A1.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 2018/0021326 A1

    2. 2018 October 23

      Compass Pathways announced that the FDA had granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to its psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, a step Seattle's 2021 resolution later cited.

      PolicyFederalSource: Compass Pathways press release, October 23, 2018

    3. 2018 November 9

      University of Washington physician Anthony Back published the essay What Psilocybin Taught Me About Dying in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

      ResearchSeattleSource: Back AL. J Palliat Med, 2018. PMID 30412005

    1. 2019 September 12

      Stamets's original application on the three-part combination was listed as abandoned after a final rejection, while related applications went forward.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 2018/0021326 A1, legal events

    2. 2019 November

      Data collection began for Microdose.me, an app study run by University of British Columbia researchers and Vancouver's Quantified Citizen, with Paul Stamets of Olympia as a co-author.

      ResearchPacific NorthwestSource: Rootman JM, et al. Sci Rep 2021. PMID 34795334 (Methods)

    3. 2019 November 22

      Usona Institute announced that the FDA had granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to its psilocybin program for major depressive disorder.

      PolicyFederalSource: Usona Institute, November 22, 2019

    1. 2020 November 3

      Oregon voters adopted Measure 109, creating a state-licensed psilocybin services program, with 55.75 percent of the vote as reported by Washington legislative staff.

      LawOregonSource: Washington Senate, Final Bill Report on 2SSB 5263 (2023)

    2. 2020 November 3

      Oregon voters approved Measure 110, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of controlled substances, a change Seattle's 2021 resolution later cited.

      LawOregonSource: Oregon Health Authority, Measure 110

    1. 2021 February 10

      University of British Columbia researchers reported deadly amatoxins in every tested sample of the Galerina marginata complex from western British Columbia.

      Wild mushroomsBritish ColumbiaSource: Landry B, et al. PLoS One 16(2), 2021. PMID 33566818

    2. 2021 February 25

      The Washington Supreme Court ruled in State v. Blake that the state's strict liability drug possession statute violated due process and was void.

      LawWashingtonSource: State v. Blake, No. 96873-0, Washington Supreme Court

    3. 2021 February 25

      The Seattle Police Department told officers to stop detaining or arresting people, or confiscating drugs, based on simple possession alone after the Blake ruling.

      EnforcementSeattleSource: SPD Blotter, February 25, 2021

    4. 2021 May 13

      Governor Jay Inslee signed ESB 5476, making knowing drug possession a misdemeanor, with police to offer referral to services instead of booking, a temporary fix set to expire July 1, 2023.

      LawWashingtonSource: ESB 5476, Chapter 311, Laws of 2021

    5. 2021 July

      The Jefferson County Board of Health passed a resolution supporting removal of entheogens from the jurisdiction of the Controlled Substances Act, as recorded in the county commissioners' 2023 resolution.

      PolicyJefferson CountySource: Jefferson County Resolution 19-23 (recital)

    6. 2021 September 24

      Seattle's Public Safety and Human Services Committee held a work session on the proposed entheogen resolution sponsored by Councilmember Andrew Lewis.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle Legistar, committee meeting of September 24, 2021

    7. 2021 October 4

      The Seattle City Council voted 9 to 0 to adopt Resolution 32021, declaring that investigating, arresting and prosecuting people for entheogen-related activities should be among the city's lowest enforcement priorities.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle City Council, Resolution 32021

    8. 2021 November 18

      A UBC-led observational app study of 4,050 microdosers and 4,653 non-microdosers, co-authored by Paul Stamets, reported lower depression, anxiety and stress scores among microdosers with mental health concerns.

      ResearchPacific NorthwestSource: Rootman JM, et al. Sci Rep 2021. PMID 34795334

    9. 2021 December 13

      The Seattle City Council adopted its 2022 state legislative agenda, which supported decriminalizing entheogens at the state level.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle City Council, Resolution 32032

    10. 2021 December 20

      The Port Townsend City Council unanimously adopted a resolution placing adult entheogen activity among the city's lowest law enforcement priorities, as recorded in Jefferson County's 2023 resolution.

      PolicyPort TownsendSource: Jefferson County Resolution 19-23 (recital)

    1. 2022 January 10

      SB 5660, a bill on psilocybin services for adults 21 and older, was introduced in the Washington Senate and received no further action.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5660 status

    2. 2022 March 3

      The University of Washington started its Frontline Clinician Psilocybin Study, a randomized trial in health workers with depression after frontline COVID-19 work.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05163496

    3. 2022 March 31

      Governor Jay Inslee approved a supplemental budget giving the Health Care Authority $200,000 for a psilocybin stakeholder work group and reports to the Legislature.

      LawWashingtonSource: ESSB 5693, Chapter 297, Laws of 2022, sec. 211(99)

    4. 2022 June 30

      A UBC-led observational follow-up of 953 psilocybin microdosers and 180 comparators found adding lion's mane and niacin did not change mood results, with one psychomotor difference in people 55 and older.

      ResearchPacific NorthwestSource: Rootman JM, et al. Sci Rep 2022. PMID 35773270

    5. 2022 June 30

      The Health Care Authority's Psilocybin Work Group held its first meeting, beginning a state study of psilocybin services for the Legislature.

      PolicyWashingtonSource: Health Care Authority, Psilocybin Work Group

    6. 2022 October 18

      The US Patent Office granted patent 11,471,450, naming Stamets as inventor, on psilocybin compositions with lion's mane extract and an Inonotus mushroom.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 11,471,450 B2

    7. 2022 November 8

      Colorado voters passed Proposition 122, the Natural Medicine Health Act, with 53.64 percent of the vote as reported by Washington legislative staff.

      LawColoradoSource: Washington Senate, Final Bill Report on 2SSB 5263 (2023)

    8. 2022 November 29

      A University of Utah-led DNA study that sampled specimens from the University of Washington herbarium, among others, found that many Psilocybe mushrooms in museum collections had been misidentified.

      ScienceSeattleSource: Bradshaw AJ, et al. Appl Environ Microbiol 88(24), 2022. PMID 36445079

    9. 2022 December 1

      The Health Care Authority delivered the Washington Psilocybin Stakeholder Workgroup's preliminary report to the Legislature.

      PolicyWashingtonSource: Health Care Authority, Psilocybin Stakeholder Workgroup Preliminary Report

    10. 2022 December 13

      The Seattle City Council adopted its 2023 state legislative agenda, again supporting decriminalization of entheogens at the state level.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle City Council, Resolution 32076

    1. 2023 January 31

      British Columbia began a three-year pilot exemption from federal drug law that removed criminal penalties for adults possessing small amounts of some illicit drugs.

      LawBritish ColumbiaSource: BC Centre for Disease Control, Decriminalization in B.C.

    2. 2023 February 14

      Compass Pathways began a phase 3 trial of its COMP360 psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression, listing Seattle Neuropsychiatric Treatment Center among its sites.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05711940

    3. 2023 February 28

      The US Patent Office granted patent 11,590,120, naming Stamets as inventor, covering psilocybin or psilocin combined with lion's mane extract.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 11,590,120 B2

    4. 2023 March 30

      The University of Washington announced that its Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry, which studies psychedelic compounds, had become an official UW research center.

      ResearchSeattleSource: UW Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry, March 30, 2023

    5. 2023 April 14

      The Washington Legislature gave final passage to 2SSB 5263, a bill on psilocybin services, after the Senate agreed to House amendments.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5263 status

    6. 2023 April 23

      A conference report on SB 5536, the bill to replace Washington's temporary drug possession law, failed in the House on the last day of the regular session.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5536 status

    7. 2023 May 1

      The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution 19-23, asking that adult entheogen activity out of public view be among the county's lowest enforcement priorities.

      PolicyJefferson CountySource: Jefferson County Resolution 19-23

    8. 2023 May 5

      Oregon had issued its first psilocybin service center license by May 5, 2023, according to the Oregon Health Authority's year in review.

      PolicyOregonSource: Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Psilocybin Services 2023 Year in Review

    9. 2023 May 9

      Governor Jay Inslee signed 2SSB 5263 with a partial veto, creating a state psilocybin task force and a University of Washington psilocybin therapy pilot, subject to funding.

      LawWashingtonSource: 2SSB 5263, Chapter 364, Laws of 2023

    10. 2023 May 15

      UW News reported that addiction psychiatrist Nathan Sackett would oversee the University of Washington psilocybin trial mandated by SB 5263 for veterans and first responders.

      ResearchSeattleSource: UW News, May 15, 2023

    11. 2023 May 16

      Governor Jay Inslee signed 2E2SSB 5536, making knowing drug possession and public use a gross misdemeanor, with prosecutors encouraged to divert cases to treatment.

      LawWashingtonSource: 2E2SSB 5536, Chapter 1, Laws of 2023, 1st Special Session

    12. 2023 May 16

      Governor Jay Inslee approved the 2023-25 state budget, which gave the University of Washington $1,464,000 to carry out the 2023 psilocybin law.

      LawWashingtonSource: ESSB 5187, Chapter 475, Laws of 2023

    13. 2023 June 6

      The Seattle City Council voted 4 to 5 against CB 120586, which would have made drug possession and public use crimes under city code.

      LawSeattleSource: Seattle Legistar, CB 120586 history

    14. 2023 June 26

      The FDA published draft guidance for industry on designing clinical investigations of psychedelic drugs and opened it for public comment.

      PolicyFederalSource: Federal Register, 88 FR 41407

    15. 2023 June 27

      The University of Washington and Fred Hutch began a group retreat psilocybin therapy trial for people with metastatic cancer, which enrolled 55 participants.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05847686

    16. 2023 July 1

      Washington's gross misdemeanor penalty for knowing drug possession took effect as the temporary 2021 misdemeanor law expired.

      LawWashingtonSource: RCW 69.50.4011, notes

    17. 2023 July 18

      The US Patent Office granted patent 11,701,348, naming Stamets as inventor, whose first claim is a method of reducing depression symptoms with psilocybin or psilocin, lion's mane extract and niacin.

      ScienceWashingtonSource: Google Patents, US 11,701,348 B1

    18. 2023 September 20

      Mayor Bruce Harrell signed Ordinance 126896, passed by the council 6 to 3 the day before, adopting the state possession and public use crimes into city code with no psilocybin exception.

      LawSeattleSource: Seattle Ordinance 126896

    19. 2023 September 28

      Mayor Bruce Harrell issued Executive Order 2023-06 directing city departments on enforcing the new drug law, including a threat of harm assessment.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle Executive Order 2023-06

    20. 2023 November 1

      Vancouver police executed search warrants at three storefronts selling psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs, saying trafficking psilocybin remained illegal in British Columbia.

      EnforcementBritish ColumbiaSource: Vancouver Police Department news release, November 1, 2023

    21. 2023 December 1

      The Health Care Authority delivered the Washington Psilocybin Task Force final report, which ranked racial diversity of participants first among population research gaps.

      PolicyWashingtonSource: Health Care Authority, Washington Psilocybin Task Force Final Report

    22. 2023 December 12

      The Seattle City Council adopted its 2024 state legislative agenda, the last through 2026 to support decriminalizing entheogens at the state level.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle City Council, Resolution 32120

    1. 2024 January 8

      SB 5977, a psilocybin services bill, was introduced in the Washington Senate; HB 2281 followed in the House two days later, and neither advanced.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5977 status

    2. 2024 March 13

      Usona Institute began uAspire, a phase 3 trial of psilocybin for major depressive disorder, listing Seattle Neuropsychiatric Treatment Center in Bellevue among its sites.

      ResearchKing CountySource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06308653

    3. 2024 March 29

      Governor Jay Inslee approved a supplemental budget that kept the UW psilocybin funding and gave UW's addiction psychiatry center $250,000 for an initial ibogaine therapy study.

      LawWashingtonSource: ESSB 5950, Chapter 376, Laws of 2024, sec. 602(103)

    4. 2024 April 1

      Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed HB 4002, making drug possession a misdemeanor again while excepting psilocybin held under the state's licensed program.

      LawOregonSource: Oregon Legislature, HB 4002 (2024)

    5. 2024 May 7

      British Columbia's exemption, which covered opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA but no other drugs, psilocybin included, was narrowed to private residences, places people are legally sheltering and certain health sites.

      LawBritish ColumbiaSource: Government of British Columbia, decriminalization fact sheet

    6. 2024 August 13

      The Olympia City Council voted 7 to 0 to adopt Resolution M-2549, making entheogen-related activities a low enforcement priority for the city.

      PolicyOlympiaSource: Olympia Resolution M-2549

    7. 2024 August 27

      The University of Washington began a small open-label pilot study of MDMA-assisted therapy for pathological narcissism, which enrolled 12 people.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06565494

    8. 2024 September 19

      Alaska HB 228 became law without the governor's signature, creating a task force on regulating psychedelic medicines approved by the FDA.

      LawAlaskaSource: Alaska Legislature, HB 228 (Chapter 60, SLA 2024)

    9. 2024 November 19

      The University of Washington and Fred Hutch began a second group psilocybin study for partial responders from the first metastatic cancer retreat trial.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06644170

    10. 2024 December 2

      UW researchers reported in JAMA Network Open that psilocybin therapy reduced depression scores more than an active placebo in 30 frontline clinicians.

      ResearchSeattleSource: Back AL, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024. PMID 39636638

    11. 2024 December 3

      The Seattle City Council adopted its 2025 state legislative agenda without the entheogen decriminalization line carried in the three previous agendas.

      PolicySeattleSource: Seattle City Council, Resolution 32155

    1. 2025 January 13

      SB 5201, the Psychedelic Substances Act for regulated adult psilocybin use, was introduced in the Washington Senate and stalled in committee.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5201 status

    2. 2025 January 20

      HB 1433, a bill on access to psychedelic substances, was introduced in the Washington House and received no committee action.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, HB 1433 status

    3. 2025 January 28

      The Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution 41609 by voice vote, making entheogen-related activities by adults among the city's lowest law enforcement priorities.

      PolicyTacomaSource: Tacoma Resolution 41609

    4. 2025 February

      The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board's research program issued a research brief on psilocybin, noting that it did not represent an official board position.

      ResearchWashingtonSource: Liquor and Cannabis Board, Research Brief: Psilocybin (February 2025)

    5. 2025 March 11

      The Idaho Senate adopted HJR 4, sending voters a constitutional amendment that would let only the Legislature legalize marijuana, narcotics or other psychoactive substances.

      LawIdahoSource: Idaho Legislature, HJR 4 (2025)

    6. 2025 March 31

      Colorado's Natural Medicine Division issued the state's first natural medicine healing center license, to The Center Origin.

      PolicyColoradoSource: Colorado Natural Medicine Division press release, April 2, 2025

    7. 2025 April 17

      The Associated Press reported on scientists' efforts to measure microdosing claims, profiling an Olympia microdoser and describing placebo-controlled findings.

      CultureOlympiaSource: Associated Press, April 17, 2025

    8. 2025 May 20

      Governor Bob Ferguson approved the 2025-27 budget, giving the University of Washington $730,000 for the psilocybin law and $10,000 for an ibogaine therapy cohort study.

      LawWashingtonSource: ESSB 5167, Chapter 424, Laws of 2025, sec. 606

    9. 2025 June 1

      PsiloStudy, the University of Washington's state-mandated trial of psilocybin with psychological support for veterans and first responders with PTSD and alcohol use disorder, began.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06853912

    10. 2025 July 1

      A King County Council committee received a briefing titled Entheogens: Supporting Recovery in Local Jurisdictions, with Jefferson County's resolution attached.

      PolicyKing CountySource: King County Legistar, 2025-B0101

    11. 2025 July 23

      The Washington Poison Center advised that unless you're a mushroom expert it's best to avoid wild mushrooms altogether, since even experts can be fooled, and gave its helpline, 1-800-222-1222.

      Wild mushroomsWashingtonSource: Washington Poison Center, Mushroom PSA

    12. 2025 October 11

      A third Microdose.me paper, co-authored by Paul Stamets, reported higher self-ratings of wellbeing and focus on microdosing days among 1,435 adults in an observational design.

      ResearchPacific NorthwestSource: St Pierre M, et al. Psychopharmacology 2026. PMID 41073618

    13. 2025 December 5

      Allen Institute scientists in Seattle co-authored a Cell study in mice finding that psilocybin rewired inputs to frontal cortex neurons in a network-specific way.

      ResearchSeattleSource: Cell 2026. PMID 41352354

    14. 2025 December 23

      Seattle's Office of Inspector General issued its first annual evaluation of the city drug possession ordinance, a report that did not mention psilocybin.

      EnforcementSeattleSource: Seattle Office of Inspector General, Evaluation of Ordinance 126896

    1. 2026 January 12

      SB 5921, the Washington Medical Psilocybin Act, which would have let licensed clinicians administer psilocybin in medical settings, was introduced in the Senate.

      LawWashingtonSource: Senate Bill Report, SB 5921

    2. 2026 January 27

      King County Proposed Motion 2026-0017 on entheogens, sponsored by Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Rod Dembowski, was introduced and sent to committee.

      PolicyKing CountySource: King County Legistar, Proposed Motion 2026-0017 history

    3. 2026 January 31

      British Columbia's drug decriminalization exemption expired, and the province said it would not be renewed.

      LawBritish ColumbiaSource: Government of British Columbia, Decriminalizing people who use drugs in B.C.

    4. 2026 February

      Alaska's psychedelic medicine task force released recommendations on making future psychedelic care accessible, as reported by Alaska Public Media.

      PolicyAlaskaSource: Alaska Public Media via KMXT, February 27, 2026

    5. 2026 February 2

      UW's Center for Novel Therapeutics in Addiction Psychiatry joined the university's Addictions, Drug and Alcohol Institute.

      ResearchSeattleSource: UW Addictions, Drug and Alcohol Institute

    6. 2026 February 3

      The Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee recommended SB 5921 and sent it to Ways and Means, where it received no further action.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, SB 5921 status

    7. 2026 March 3

      A King County Council committee recommended the entheogen enforcement motion on a motion by Councilmember Rhonda Lewis.

      PolicyKing CountySource: King County Legistar, Proposed Motion 2026-0017 history

    8. 2026 March 12

      The 2026 legislative session ended, and four psychedelic bills of the 2025-26 biennium, SB 5921, SB 5201, SB 5204 and HB 1433, died without floor votes.

      LawWashingtonSource: Washington Legislature, status changes March 12 to 13, 2026

    9. 2026 March 24

      The King County Council voted 6 to 2 to pass Motion 16962, asking that adult noncommercial entheogen activity be among the county's lowest enforcement priorities.

      PolicyKing CountySource: King County Motion 16962

    10. 2026 March 25

      Fred Hutch reported results of the group retreat psilocybin trial in 52 people with metastatic cancer, with drops in anxiety and depression lasting at least six months.

      ResearchSeattleSource: Fred Hutch Science Spotlight, March 25, 2026

    11. 2026 April 14

      Results of the second UW and Fred Hutch group psilocybin study were published in Frontiers in Public Health, reporting no serious adverse events among 13 completers.

      ResearchSeattleSource: Frontiers in Public Health 2026. PMID 42058096

    12. 2026 April 18

      President Trump signed Executive Order 14401 to speed psychedelic drug research and access, including at least $50 million through ARPA-H for state programs.

      PolicyFederalSource: Executive Order 14401, 91 FR 21709

    13. 2026 May 19

      The University of Washington and Fred Hutch began a phase 2a group retreat psilocybin trial for anxiety and depression in people with metastatic or incurable cancer.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07336238

    14. 2026 July 14

      The FDA issued final guidance on designing clinical investigations of psychedelic drugs, finalizing the draft it had published in 2023.

      PolicyFederalSource: Federal Register, 91 FR 43101

    15. 2026 July 14

      The FDA announced a public hearing on potential future therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, scheduled for September 14, 2026.

      PolicyFederalSource: Federal Register, 91 FR 43095

    16. 2026 August 3

      The VA's PIVOT trial of psilocybin for veterans with treatment-resistant depression began, with VA Puget Sound in Seattle among its five sites.

      ResearchSeattleSource: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07226232

    17. 2026 September 1

      The Pierce County Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-177, asking that entheogen enforcement be among the county's lowest priorities when no other violations are suspected, according to the county's announcement.

      PolicyPierce CountySource: Pierce County Council news item, September 3, 2026

    18. 2026 September 23

      The DEA proposed placing five synthetic tryptamines in Schedule I, a step that left psilocybin and psilocyn, already in Schedule I, unchanged.

      LawFederalSource: Federal Register, 91 FR 60338

Download this data. Psilocybin in Seattle and Washington: a dated timeline, 140 rows, updated November 2, 2026. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.

Turning points

1967 to 1971: the schedules. Washington first listed psilocin in its dangerous drug law on March 21, 1967, making possession without a prescription unlawful.13 President Nixon approved the Controlled Substances Act on October 27, 1970, with psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I; most of it took effect on May 1, 1971.9 Washington's act, with the same two substances in its Schedule I, took effect when the governor approved it on May 21, 1971.1 Both are still listed.2

The 1970s: campuses and conferences. University of Washington students were eating an unnamed campus Psilocybe by 1973, and use reached Evergreen in Olympia by 1974, according to the 1976 paper that named it Psilocybe stuntzii.5 About 120 people came to the First Psychotropic Mushroom Foray, near Olympia over Halloween weekend 1976; that December the Puget Sound Mycological Society urged members to warn people off eating these mushrooms.10 More than 260 registered for the Second International Conference on Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, in Port Townsend over Halloween weekend 1977, where R. Gordon Wasson and Albert Hofmann spoke.11

2021: State v. Blake. On February 25, 2021, the Washington Supreme Court held the strict liability possession statute void for violating due process.6 Seattle police stopped arresting for simple possession that day. The Legislature made knowing possession a temporary misdemeanor in May 2021 and a gross misdemeanor from July 1, 2023, the penalty today.3

Resolution 32021. Seattle's resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, says the investigation, arrest and prosecution of anyone engaging in entheogen-related activities "should be among The City of Seattle's lowest enforcement priorities" and backs full decriminalization.4 It changed no law. The council's legislative agendas for 2022, 2023 and 2024 supported state-level decriminalization; the 2025 agenda dropped it. Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Olympia, Tacoma and Pierce County passed similar measures.

2023: SB 5263 and Ordinance 126896. On May 9, 2023, Governor Jay Inslee signed 2SSB 5263, creating a psilocybin task force and, subject to funding, a University of Washington therapy pilot for adults including veterans and first responders.12 That state-mandated trial, PsiloStudy, began on June 1, 2025. On September 20, 2023, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed Ordinance 126896, adopting the state's possession and public use crimes into city code with no exception for psilocybin or entheogens;7 an earlier bill had failed 4 to 5 in June.

2026: the county and federal moves. Four psychedelic bills of the 2025-26 biennium, SB 5921, SB 5201, SB 5204 and HB 1433, died when the Legislature adjourned on March 12. King County's Motion 16962 covers sheriff's enforcement in unincorporated areas and says it doesn't alter state or federal law.8 Federally, Executive Order 14401 aimed to speed psychedelic research, the FDA finalized its trial guidance and the VA's PIVOT trial opened with a Seattle site. Psilocybin stayed in Schedule I throughout.

How the timeline is built

Sources. Each event is checked against a primary record where one exists: session laws and statutes, bill status records, council records, court opinions, the Federal Register, PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov and the Puget Sound Mycological Society's newsletters. Where only news reporting exists, the entry names the outlet.

Precision. A day, a month or a year, as the source allows. Where sources disagree on the day, or give only a description such as "Halloween weekend", the entry gives the month. Month and year entries sort to the start of that month or year.

What's left out. Anything we couldn't confirm. Anything that could help someone find, identify, prepare or take mushrooms: no habitats, no collection sites smaller than a city or campus, no seasons, no amounts. Private people's names in criminal matters. National and neighboring events that didn't shape Seattle or Washington.

Reuse and corrections. The data are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page; the CSV and JSON downloads sit under the list. To suggest an event, send a link to the record through the contact page.

Questions people ask

When did psilocybin become illegal in Washington?

A 1967 state law added psilocin, and drugs federal regulators found to have a hallucinogenic potential for abuse, to Washington's dangerous drug law, making possession without a prescription unlawful.13 Washington's Uniform Controlled Substances Act then put psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I on May 21, 1971;1 federal law had done the same on October 27, 1970.9 Washington still listed both as of November 2, 2026.2

Did Seattle decriminalize magic mushrooms?

No. Resolution 32021 asks that enforcement be among the city's lowest priorities, but a resolution doesn't change criminal law.4 Since Ordinance 126896, knowing possession of psilocybin is a gross misdemeanor under city code as well as state law.7

Why does the timeline start in 1937?

It's the earliest dated event we confirmed with a Washington connection: Alexander H. Smith's description of Psathyra pelliculosa from Oregon. Renamed Psilocybe pelliculosa, it was one of the two species called Liberty Caps in western Washington by 1976.

Can I reuse the timeline?

Yes, under CC BY 4.0, with credit and a link to this page. The CSV and JSON files hold the same 140 events, each with its source.

Sources

  1. Laws of 1971, 1st Ex. Sess., chapter 308 (Uniform Controlled Substances Act). Washington State Legislature, approved May 21, 1971.
  2. RCW 69.50.204, Schedule I. Washington State Legislature, checked November 2, 2026.
  3. RCW 69.50.4013, Possession of controlled substance. Washington State Legislature, checked November 2, 2026.
  4. Resolution 32021. Seattle City Council, adopted October 4, 2021.
  5. 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. PMID 1034878.
  6. State v. Blake, No. 96873-0. Washington Supreme Court, February 25, 2021.
  7. Ordinance 126896. City of Seattle, signed September 20, 2023.
  8. Motion 16962. Metropolitan King County Council, passed March 24, 2026.
  9. Public Law 91-513, Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. 84 Stat. 1236, October 27, 1970.
  10. Chilton S, foray report; Hendrickson HR, Beware of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter No. 127, December 1976.
  11. Chilton S, Hallucinogenic mushroom conference. Puget Sound Mycological Society newsletter No. 138, January 1978.
  12. 2SSB 5263, chapter 364, Laws of 2023 (psilocybin services: task force and pilot program). Washington State Legislature, signed May 9, 2023.
  13. Laws of 1967, chapter 71 (Engrossed House Bill 353, dangerous drugs). Washington State Legislature, approved March 21, 1967.

Related entries

Compiled and checked by the Magic Mushrooms Seattle editors. Every fact on this page is dated and links to its source. Found an error? Tell us and we'll correct it in the open, as our editorial standards describe. Magic Mushrooms Seattle is published by the team that runs My Mushroom Dispensary, an online shop. We sell no advertising and nothing on this site.