1. What the law is
Small amounts in Armenia cost money, not a criminal record. Acquiring, storing or transporting a small amount without intent to sell draws an administrative fine of 200 to 400 times the minimum wage, rising to 400 to 800 times on a repeat within the year, under Article 44.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Using without a doctor's prescription is a separate administrative offense at Article 44.2. Above the small-amount thresholds Article 396 of the 2021 Criminal Code takes over: a fine, public works, restriction of liberty or up to one year in prison for significant amounts, one to three years for large amounts, two to five years for particularly large amounts. The listing instrument is the annex to Government Decision N 1129-N of 21 August 2003, which carries psilocin and psilocybin. Anyone who surrenders the substance voluntarily and assists the investigation is released from liability under both codes.
2. History
The legal events behind this entry, dated and oldest first. Our own reviews and corrections are listed under Changes to this record.
Mixed status takes effect.
3. Proposed laws
No proposed law is on file in Armenia that would change this entry, as of the 17 Aug 2026 review.
4. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Armenia?
Psilocybin has mixed legal status in Armenia. small amounts an administrative offense; larger quantities criminal.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Armenia?
"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin, and this entry states the law on psilocybin itself, which some laws treat separately from the fungus. Psilocybin has mixed legal status in Armenia. small amounts an administrative offense; larger quantities criminal.
Read the law
Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (2021, HO-199-N), Article 396: illegal circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their preparations, analogues or precursors without purpose of sale (Article 404 covers sowing or growing plants containing prohibited substances). Code of Administrative Offences, Article 44.1 (printed as 44 with a superscript one): illegal circulation in small amounts without purpose of sale; Article 44.2: use without a doctor's prescription. Article 44, cited in earlier versions of this entry, lost force on 24 December 2004 by HO-68-N. Government Decision N 1129-N of 21 August 2003, annex: the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors subject to control, which carries psilocin and psilocybin.1
Sources
This entry's status is checked against the primary sources below, and the methodology explains how each entry is graded for confidence.
- 1.arlis.am (opens in new tab) · arlis.am
- 2.arlis.am (opens in new tab) · arlis.am
This entry is for information only and is not legal or medical advice. Laws change, and enforcement can differ from the letter of the law, so check the current position against the primary sources above before relying on it.
Changes to this record
3 changes on file, the latest on . Show allHide
Every change we have made to this record, dated, corrections included. Nothing changes silently.
Armenia's entry now cites the articles that actually carry the law: Article 396 of the 2021 Criminal Code for the criminal tier and Article 44.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences for the administrative one, replacing an insider-dealing article and an article repealed in 2004. The government decision that lists psilocin and psilocybin is cited for the first time, and the penalty range is restated from the statute.
Armenia is now recorded as mixed. Small amounts are an administrative offense, while larger quantities remain a criminal offense.
An early review recorded small-amount possession as an administrative offense, drawing on a campaigners' map rather than Armenia's own text. The criminal code could not be read at the time, so no effective date was set.
Psilocybin Media Group. "Armenia: psilocybin legal status." The Psilocybin Record, accession AM-001, version of 23 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/armenia