1. What the law is
Psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, is the substance Ireland actually schedules, and the mushroom is reached through it. Psilocin is a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and sits in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017, the most restrictive class, so production, supply and possession for personal use are prohibited except under licence. S.I. No. 55/2006 closed an earlier loophole on 31 January 2006 by declaring any preparation or fungus containing psilocin a controlled drug in any state, which put the mushrooms themselves squarely inside the prohibition. Nothing decriminalised or medical has been enacted for personal use since.
2. Trials in Ireland
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one site in Ireland, as their sponsors filed them with ClinicalTrials.gov, EU CTIS and ISRCTN. Each row links to the registry record, which sets out who may take part.
Recruiting or opening counts trials recruiting now, not yet recruiting, or enrolling by invitation. Closed counts trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified by their sponsors.
| Registry ID | Trial | Phase | Sponsor | Status | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06793397 | A Study of a Deuterated Psilocin Analog (CYB003) in Humans With Major Depressive Disorder (opens in new tab)Recruiting in Dublin and Galway | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor Cybin IRL Limited | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| 2024-515147-32-02 | POSITRON - PsilOcybin with pSychologIcal supporT foR cOcaiNe: a randomised controlled pilot feasibility trial of psilocybin with psychological support for cocaine use disorder (opens in new tab)Sites in Dublin 24 and Dublin 8 | Phase Not stated | Sponsor Trinity College Dublin | Status Authorised | Start date |
| 2023-505268-12-00 | 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)Sites in Dublin 24 and Galway City | Phase Not stated | Sponsor Compass Pathfinder Limited | Status Authorised | Start date |
| NCT05711940 | Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Administrations of COMP360 in Participants With TRD (opens in new tab)Sites in Dublin and Galway | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Active, not recruiting | Start date |
| NCT05481736 | Efficacy and Safety of COMP360 Psilocybin Therapy in Anorexia Nervosa: a Proof-of-concept Study (opens in new tab)Site at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Completed | Start date |
| NCT04739865 | The Safety and Efficacy Of Psilocybin as an Adjunctive Therapy in Participants With Treatment Resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Site at Sheaf House, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Completed | Start date |
| NCT04519957 | Long Term Follow Up Study to COMP 001 And COMP 003 Trials (P-TRD LTFU) (opens in new tab)Site at Sheaf House, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin | Phase Not stated | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Completed | Start date |
| NCT03775200 | The Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Participants With Treatment Resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Site at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Completed | Start date |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
3. History
The legal events behind this entry, dated and oldest first. Our own reviews and corrections are listed under Changes to this record.
Illegal status takes effect.
4. Proposed laws
Proposals that are not yet law and would change this entry if adopted.
Controlled Drugs and Harm Reduction Bill 2017 (Bill 68 of 2017): a Seanad Private Members' Bill to amend the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977-2016 to decriminalise possession of controlled drugs for personal use; restored in the current Oireachtas, with Seanad Second Stage completed March 4, 2025 and Committee Stage listed as the current stage on the bill page. Because psilocin is a controlled drug, the Bill would reach personal-use psilocybin possession. No Government Bill amending psilocin or psilocybin scheduling is before the houses; the six Misuse of Drugs statutory instruments of 2025 and 2026 contain no psilocin changes; the National Drugs Strategy 2026-2030 remains a draft.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Ireland?
Psilocybin is illegal in Ireland.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Ireland?
"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 is illegal in Ireland.
Read the law
Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (No. 12 of 1977) lists "Psilocin" by name in its Schedule. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Declaration) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 55/2006) declares that any substance, product or preparation (whether natural or not), including a fungus of any kind or description, containing Psilocin or an ester of Psilocin is a controlled drug. Under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 173/2017), Schedule 1 lists both "Psilocin" and "Any fungus containing any proportion of Psilocin or of an ester of Psilocin". Schedule 1 is the most restrictive class, with no ordinary medical prescribing.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.irishstatutebook.ie (opens in new tab) · irishstatutebook.ie
- 2.irishstatutebook.ie (opens in new tab) · irishstatutebook.ie
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
2 changes on file, the latest on . Show allHide
Every change we have made to this record, dated, corrections included. Nothing changes silently.
An Irish Seanad bill to decriminalise personal drug possession is at committee stage, and the record now names it. Psilocybin's controlled status is unchanged.
Ireland's entry had cited a hemp order by mistake. It now cites the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 and the 2006 order that brought psilocybin mushrooms within the law. Possession for personal use is a criminal offence, as recorded.
Psilocybin Media Group. "Ireland: psilocybin legal status." The Psilocybin Record, accession IE-001, version of 23 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/ireland