Maryland
Psilocybin is a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance in Maryland, and the state has created no legal route to it. Clinical trials still run in the state. They are authorized federally, and Maryland's schedule does not decide whether one may proceed.1
- Corrected and re-checked against the 2 sources cited below.
1. What the law is
Maryland has no legal route to psilocybin. It sits in Schedule I of state law, and no bill creating access has passed.
What the state has instead is a task force. Chapter 207, signed 28 Apr 2026, extended the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances through the end of 2027 and set an interim report for 31 Oct 2026. The task force has recommended a multi-pathway access framework. The legislature has not acted on it. Two ibogaine research bills died without committee votes at adjournment on 13 Apr 2026, and Maryland bills do not carry over.
State law does not govern the research. A clinical trial runs on a federal application and a federal researcher registration, granted the same way in every state.
Psilocybin is illegal in Maryland. It is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Maryland Controlled Dangerous Substances Act (Md. Code, Criminal Law § 5-402(a)(3)), and the state has not enacted any program authorizing its possession, manufacture, distribution, or supervised use. Possession is an offense under § 5-601 and distribution under § 5-602, and no decriminalization or regulated-access law is in effect.
Maryland's only enacted legislative activity on psilocybin concerns a study body rather than access. In 2026 the General Assembly passed HB 427 (Chapter 207), which extends the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances through December 31, 2027, adds a member from a historically Black college or university, and requires an updated report by October 31, 2026; Governor Wes Moore signed the bill on April 28, 2026, with an effective date of July 1, 2026. The task force is a study and recommendation body only and creates no legal access to psilocybin, which remains a Schedule I substance under Md. Code, Criminal Law § 5-402. Separate 2026 bills HB 1477 and SB 527, which addressed ibogaine clinical-research grants rather than psilocybin, did not advance past a committee hearing before the session adjourned. As of this review, no Maryland bill establishing patient or regulated access to psilocybin has been enacted.
2. Trials in Maryland
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one site in Maryland, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07610135 | Psilocybin Efficacy With or Without Pimavanserin Pretreatment (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1/2 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT07565493 | Psilocybin Administration With 5-HT1a Blockade (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Center for Psychedelics and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase Early 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06902974 | Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Sexual Assault-Related PTSD (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Sunstone Medical, PC, Rockville | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor Sunstone Medical | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT07053917 | Psychedelic Healing: Adjunct Therapy Harnessing Opened Malleability (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06793397 | A Study of a Deuterated Psilocin Analog (CYB003) in Humans With Major Depressive Disorder (opens in new tab)Sites in Rockville and Baltimore | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor Cybin IRL Limited | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06989957 | Psilocybin and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT07180108 | PRoMiSS: Psilocybin and the Role of Music in Set and Setting (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Center for Psychedelics and Consciousness Research in the Behavioral Biology Research Center, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06656702 | Effects of Psilocybin in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase Early 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06772753 | Investigation of Psychedelic Effects in Psychoactive Substances (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT05403086 | Pragmatic Trial of Psilocybin Therapy in Palliative Care (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Sunstone Therapies, Rockville | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor Charles S. Grob, M.D. | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06660381 | Psilocybin-assisted Treatment for Cannabis Use Disorder (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
| NCT06355414 | Psilocybin in Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Johns Hopkins University | Status Recruiting | Start date |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
36 more trials on file for Maryland.
The register lists all 48 and filters them by condition, status and phase.
3. History
The legal events behind this entry, dated and oldest first. Our own reviews and corrections are listed under Changes to this record.
HB 1477 / SB 527 (ibogaine clinical-research grants, not psilocybin) receive a committee hearing but do not advance to a vote.
Maryland General Assembly adjourns sine die for the 2026 regular session.
Governor Wes Moore signs HB 427 (Chapter 207), extending the Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances through December 31, 2027.
HB 427 (Chapter 207) takes effect.
Date by which HB 427 requires the task force to submit an updated report.
4. Proposed laws
No proposed law is on file in Maryland that would change this entry, as of the 03 Aug 2026 review.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Maryland?
No. Psilocybin is illegal in Maryland and is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Maryland Controlled Dangerous Substances Act (Md. Code, Criminal Law § 5-402(a)(3)). The state has not enacted any decriminalization or regulated-access law.
Did Maryland decriminalize psilocybin in 2026?
No. The only enacted 2026 measure, HB 427 (Chapter 207), extends a state study task force through 2027. It does not decriminalize psilocybin or change its status as a Schedule I controlled substance.
What is the Maryland Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances?
It is a state study and recommendation body. HB 427 (Chapter 207, 2026) extended it through December 31, 2027 and required an updated report by October 31, 2026. The task force studies policy options but does not create any legal access to psilocybin.
Can I legally obtain psilocybin in Maryland for therapeutic use?
No. Maryland has not enacted any supervised-use, medical, or regulated-access program for psilocybin. Possession is an offense under Md. Code, Criminal Law § 5-601 and distribution under § 5-602.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Maryland?
"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 a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance in Maryland, and the state has created no legal route to it. Clinical trials still run in the state. They are authorized federally, and Maryland's schedule does not decide whether one may proceed.
Read the law
Md. Code, Criminal Law § 5-402(a)(3) (Schedule I): Maryland's Schedule I carries no list of drugs of its own. Whatever the federal government puts in its Schedule I lands in Maryland's, unless the Maryland Department of Health objects under § 5-202(f). Psilocybin is federally Schedule I. Possession is an offense under § 5-601 and distribution under § 5-602. HB 427 / Chapter 207 (2026) extended the state's psychedelics task force through December 31, 2027; signed April 28, 2026, effective July 1, 20261
Sources
This entry's status is checked against the primary sources below, and the methodology explains how each entry is graded for confidence.
- 1.Maryland General Assembly.Maryland General Assembly (opens in new tab) · mgaleg.maryland.gov
- 2.Marijuana Moment.Marijuana Moment (opens in new tab) · marijuanamoment.net
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
4 changes on file, the latest on . Show allHide
Every change we have made to this record, dated, corrections included. Nothing changes silently.
Maryland's Schedule I keeps no list of drugs of its own. It takes in whatever the federal government schedules, and that is how psilocybin is controlled here. The record now says so, and names the sections that make possession and distribution offences.
Maryland's record now explains something it never said: the state's drug law does not govern the clinical trials that run there. Those answer to federal regulators.
Maryland's ibogaine research bills died at adjournment and nothing is pending. The state's psychedelics task force now runs through 2027, with a report due this October.
The only psychedelics measure Maryland has enacted extends a task force. That is not access, and the entry was corrected from mixed to illegal.
Psilocybin Media Group. "Maryland: psilocybin legal status." The Psilocybin Record, accession US-MD-001, version of 07 Sep 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/maryland