Belgium
Psilocybin is illegal in Belgium as of 16 Aug 2026.1
- Corrected and re-checked against 2 cited sources at this review.
1. What the law is
Loi du 24 fevrier 1921 (drug law), art. 2bis: possession of narcotic and psychotropic substances is a criminal offense punishable by 3 months to 5 years imprisonment plus a fine of 1,000 to 100,000 euros; art. 9 allows a person who made, acquired or held such substances for personal consumption to benefit from the suspension, sursis and probation regime of the law of 29 June 1964, even where the usual conditions on prior convictions are not met.1
Cannabis gets a police warning in Belgium for small personal amounts. Psilocybin gets none. Article 2bis of the Law of 24 February 1921 makes possession of a psychotropic substance punishable by three months to five years in prison plus a fine, and a judge may route a personal-use case into probation instead, but nothing lifts psilocybin out of the criminal law.
2. Pending legislation
No bill is on file in Belgium that would change this record, as of the 16 Aug 2026 review.
3. History
The laws behind today’s status, when each took effect, and every review since, in order.
Belgium was listed as decriminalized and it is not. The 1921 law itself puts possession at three months to five years in prison, so the status was corrected to illegal.
Belgium's entry pointed at the wrong article for the probation route open to people caught with drugs for their own use. It is article 9, not article 9bis, and the entry now says so. The penalties are unchanged.
4. Trials in Belgium
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one study site in Belgium, drawn from ClinicalTrials.gov, EU CTIS, and ISRCTN. Registry data is reported by sponsors and shown as filed.
Recruiting, active, completed and closed add up to the 2 trials with a study site in Belgium, as of Aug 2026. Closed covers trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified.
| Registry ID | Trial | Phase | Sponsor | Status | Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06378229 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin for Hospitalized Patients with Treatment-resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Ghent University Hospital, Ghent | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor University Hospital, Ghent | Status Not stated | Started |
| NCT06160232 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Severe Alcohol Use Disorder (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Brugmann University Hospital, Brussels | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor Brugmann University Hospital | Status Not stated | Started |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Belgium?
Psilocybin is illegal in Belgium as of 16 Aug 2026.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Belgium?
"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin. Psilocybin is illegal in Belgium as of 16 Aug 2026. Some laws control the compound and the fungus separately, so this record states the position for psilocybin in Belgium.
Sources and confidence
Every status line is checked against the primary sources below. How each record is graded for confidence is set out in the methodology.
- 1.ejustice.just.fgov.be (opens in new tab) · ejustice.just.fgov.be
- 2.European Union Drugs Agency.European Union Drugs Agency (opens in new tab) · euda.europa.eu
Cited at the review
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change frequently, and enforcement practice can differ from the letter of the law. Verify current status with local authorities before relying on this record.
Changes to this record
Every change we have made to this record, dated, corrections included. Nothing changes silently.
Belgium's entry pointed at the wrong article for the probation route open to people caught with drugs for their own use. It is article 9, not article 9bis, and the entry now says so. The penalties are unchanged.
Belgium was listed as decriminalized and it is not. The 1921 law itself puts possession at three months to five years in prison, so the status was corrected to illegal.
Belgium: psilocybin legal status. The Psilocybin Record. Accession BE-001. Status as of 16 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/belgium
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