Denmark

Illegal

Psilocybin is illegal in Denmark as of 18 Aug 2026.1

1. What the law is

Key legislation

Lov om euforiserende stoffer (Euphoriants Act), consolidated as lovbekendtgorelse nr. 1334 of 9 December 2019, section 2(4): import, export, sale, purchase, supply, receipt, manufacture, processing and possession of listed substances are forbidden, and section 3 sets a fine or imprisonment of up to 2 years. Mushrooms entered the lists by BEK nr. 587 of 21 June 2001 (in force 1 July 2001), which inserted into list B of annex 1 to the 1993 order a new no. 132 a covering mushrooms and spores of Psilocybe semilanceata, Psilocybe cubensis and any other mushrooms or spores containing psilocin or psilocybin, including cultivated, dried or otherwise processed material. That entry has been carried forward unchanged through every reissue since, among them BEK nr. 557 of 31 May 2011, which this record cited as current until August 2026 and which was itself superseded in 2020, 2021 and 2026. The order in force is Bekendtgorelse om euforiserende stoffer (BEK nr. 405 of 26 March 2026, in force 29 March 2026), issued under section 1(1) and (2) and section 2(1) and (2) of the Act, which repealed BEK nr. 2446 of 12 December 2021 and lists at list B of annex 1: no. 407 psilocin, no. 408 psilocybin, and no. 411 mushrooms and spores. Lists B, D and E cover substances usable only for medical and scientific purposes.1

Possession for personal use is a criminal offense in Denmark, carrying up to 2 years' imprisonment under the Euphoriants Act. The listing reaches past the compound: mushrooms and their spores have been named euphoriant substances since an executive order of 21 June 2001, which added them as a single entry covering cultivated, dried or otherwise processed material, and that wording has carried unchanged into the order in force today. Research use needs authorization from the Medicines Agency. There is no medical or therapeutic access program.

2. Pending legislation

Introduced but not yet law. If a bill passes, this record changes with it.

Nothing is before the Folketing as of 16 Aug 2026, on a search of the Folketing's own case register that day for psilocybin and psychedelic terms. The most recent item was B 5 in the 2025-26 session, a resolution proposal to set up a cross disciplinary working group to map and assess how psychedelic substances might be regulated from a public health perspective. It lapsed when the session closed on 24 Mar 2026 and was never voted on. Clinical trials continue at Copenhagen (NRU and Rigshospitalet) and Aalborg university hospitals.

3. History

The laws behind today’s status, when each took effect, and every review since, in order.

  1. Denmark had been recorded as mixed, which overstated the position. Possession is criminal, the only exceptions are for research, and no medical program exists, so the status moves to illegal.

    Denmark's entry said no bill was pending. A resolution proposal on psychedelics, B 5, had in fact been tabled and then lapsed when the session ended in March 2026, and the entry now records it. The list of banned substances also covers spores, which the entry had not mentioned.

    Denmark's entry pointed at an executive order that stopped being current in 2020. The order in force is now cited, and the listing itself is unchanged: mushrooms and their spores have been controlled since 2001.

4. Trials in Denmark

Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one study site in Denmark, drawn from ClinicalTrials.gov, EU CTIS, and ISRCTN. Registry data is reported by sponsors and shown as filed.

1Recruiting
7Active
2Completed
2Closed
12Total

Recruiting, active, completed and closed add up to the 12 trials with a study site in Denmark, as of Aug 2026. Closed covers trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, EU CTIS, and ISRCTN, as of Aug 2026. Showing all 12 trials with a study site in Denmark, recruiting trials first. This site makes no medical claims about psilocybin.
NCT03289949 (opens in new tab)The Neurobiological Effect of 5-HT2AR Modulation (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet, CopenhagenPhase Phase 1Sponsor Gitte Moos KnudsenStatus RecruitingStarted
NCT06782724 (opens in new tab)Psilocybin Therapy for Psychological Distress in Palliative Patients (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Bispebjerg Hospital, CopenhagenPhase Phase 2Sponsor University Medical Center GroningenStatus Not statedStarted
2023-503617-30-02 (opens in new tab)Boosting recovery through excitation of arousal and awareness in comatose patients: Dose finding study (BREA2KTHROUGH DOSEFINDER) (opens in new tab)Phase Not statedSponsor RigshospitaletStatus Not statedStarted
2023-505268-12-00 (opens in new tab)A Phase III, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, controlled study to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of two initial administrations of COMP360 in participants with treatment-resistant depression (opens in new tab)Phase Not statedSponsor Compass Pathfinder LimitedStatus Not statedStarted
2024-517497-17-01 (opens in new tab)Can a one-off administration of psilocybin reduce alcohol intake in patients with alcohol use disorder? A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. (opens in new tab)Phase Not statedSponsor Region HovedstadenStatus Not statedStarted
NCT05416229 (opens in new tab)Psilocybin-assisted Therapy for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (opens in new tab)Site at Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Frederiksberg Hospital, FrederiksbergPhase Phase 2Sponsor Anders Fink-Jensen, MD, DMSciStatus CompletedStarted
NCT05711940 (opens in new tab)Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Administrations of COMP360 in Participants With TRD (opens in new tab)Site at Aalborg Universitetshospital-Psykiatrien Region Nordjylland, AalborgPhase Phase 3Sponsor COMPASS PathwaysStatus Active, not recruitingStarted
NCT04718792 (opens in new tab)Psilocybin for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: a Feasibility Study (opens in new tab)Site at Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, CopenhagenPhase Phase 2Sponsor Anders Fink-Jensen, MD, DMSciStatus Unknown statusStarted
NCT04280055 (opens in new tab)Prophylactic Effects of Psilocybin on Chronic Cluster Headache (opens in new tab)Site at Neurobiology Research Unit, Rigshospitalet, CopenhagenPhase Phase 1/2Sponsor Gitte Moos KnudsenStatus TerminatedStarted
NCT03775200 (opens in new tab)The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Participants With Treatment Resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Site at Enhed for Psykiatrisk Forskning, Psykiatrien i Aalborg, AalborgPhase Phase 2Sponsor COMPASS PathwaysStatus CompletedStarted
2025-522961-31-00 (opens in new tab)The Acute and Long-term Impact of Support and Music in Psilocybin Therapy for Depression: The Psilocybin Setting Trial (PSISET) (opens in new tab)Phase Not statedSponsor Kobenhavns Universitet, Koebenhavns UniversitetStatus Not statedStarted Not stated
2025-524939-39-02 (opens in new tab)The Danish Anorexia Nervosa Psilocybin RCT (DANP-RCT). A Randomised, Active-Placebo-Controlled, Triple-blind, Superiority Study of Psilocybin-Assisted Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the Treatment of Treatment-resistant Anorexia Nervosa. (opens in new tab)Phase Not statedSponsor Slagelse HospitalStatus Not statedStarted Not stated

ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

5. Common questions

Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Denmark?

"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin. Psilocybin is illegal in Denmark as of 18 Aug 2026. Some laws control the compound and the fungus separately, so this record states the position for psilocybin in Denmark.

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. 1.laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk (opens in new tab) · laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk
  2. 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.

  1. Correction

    Denmark's entry pointed at an executive order that stopped being current in 2020. The order in force is now cited, and the listing itself is unchanged: mushrooms and their spores have been controlled since 2001.

  2. Correction

    Denmark's entry said no bill was pending. A resolution proposal on psychedelics, B 5, had in fact been tabled and then lapsed when the session ended in March 2026, and the entry now records it. The list of banned substances also covers spores, which the entry had not mentioned.

  3. Correction

    Denmark had been recorded as mixed, which overstated the position. Possession is criminal, the only exceptions are for research, and no medical program exists, so the status moves to illegal.

Cite this recordDK-001

Denmark: psilocybin legal status. The Psilocybin Record. Accession DK-001. Status as of 18 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/denmark

Record 24 of 100 · Last reviewed DK-001

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