Unpack your bags, Washingtonians may soon be taking trips much closer to home. A bill being considered this legislative session would legalize the consumption of psilocybin, the magic ingredient in "magic mushrooms." If it passes, Washington would join Oregon and Colorado in legalizing and decriminalizing the psychedelic drug produced naturally in psilocybin mushrooms.
The 81-page Senate Bill 5263 — the Washington Psilocybin Services Wellness and Opportunity Act — would allow people over the age of 21 to experience psilocybin in authorized facilities under the supervision of licensed therapeutic professionals. Psilocybin has been used successfully to treat depression, trauma and end-of-life anxiety. Personal cultivation and consumption will still be illegal.
The bill was introduced by state Sen. Jesse Salomon, a Democrat representing Shoreline, and has 22 sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, a Spokane Democrat. The Psychedelic Medicine Alliance of Washington said it believes this support is a direct result of its lobbying efforts over the summer and fall of last year.
"As for the future of this bill, we are cautiously optimistic that it will pass this year," Tatiana Luz Quintana, the advocacy group's co-director, said in an email.
If passed, the law would put Washington in league with Oregon and Colorado, the only other states to decriminalize the hallucinogenic compound. However, other states are considering similar psychedelic legislation, including Virginia, Missouri, Minnesota and Montana. And many cities have decriminalized its use, including Seattle; Oakland, California; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The bill calls for the creation of the Washington Psilocybin Advisory Board, which would consist of physicians, mental and public health professionals, representatives from local indigenous tribes, addiction specialists, researchers, mycologists, and more.
During a two-year advisory period the board would create rules, grant licenses, conduct research and generally manage the creation of a new industry. Oregon's psilocybin bill, the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, created a similar board, which ended its advisory period at the start of the new year and began accepting applications for service and manufacturing licenses Jan. 2.
"We're truly standing on the shoulders of giants," says Pat Donahue, a lawyer with Terrapin Legal, a Spokane law firm that works in psychedelic advocacy. "We're on a lucky perch where we can not only learn from [Oregon Senate Bill] 109, but also learn from their robust regulatory framework they've rolled out."
The Washington bill was introduced and assigned to the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee last week, but it still has a way to go before becoming law. Barring any major changes to the bill, psilocybin could be legal for use in September 2025. ♦
