1. What the law is
Nepal's 1976 narcotics Act never mentions psilocybin. The law works by naming what it controls, and everything it names is cannabis, opium or coca. The government can add substances by notice in the Nepal Gazette, and it has not added this one. The Department of Drug Administration's list of substances approved for import and use names 9 narcotics and 22 psychotropic substances, and psilocybin is not among them. Nepal's position rests on those absences, not on any permission granted.
2. History
The legal events behind this entry, dated and oldest first. Our own reviews and corrections are listed under Changes to this record.
No reform legislation on file for Nepal yet. If one passes, it appears here, dated.
3. Proposed laws
No proposed law is on file in Nepal that would change this entry, as of the 17 Aug 2026 review.
4. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Nepal?
Psilocybin has mixed legal status in Nepal.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Nepal?
"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 Nepal.
Read the law
Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976), section 3(a) defines 'narcotic drug' by an enumerated list: cannabis, medicinal cannabis, opium, prepared opium, medicinal opium, the coca plant and its leaves, and any substance prepared with the extracts, mixtures or salts of opium and coca. Clause (7) extends the definition to natural or synthetic narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances specified by the Government of Nepal by notice in the Nepal Gazette. Psilocybin and psilocybin-containing mushrooms appear in neither, and no adding notice has been located.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.moljpa.gov.np (opens in new tab) · moljpa.gov.np
- 2.giwmscdnone.gov.np (opens in new tab) · giwmscdnone.gov.np
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.
Nepal's entry no longer says only that the law is evolving. It now states what the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act actually lists, cites the government's own consolidated text and the drug regulator's import list, and explains that psilocybin's position rests on being left out of both rather than on any permission.
Psilocybin is not named in Nepal's Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976). That leaves it unscheduled rather than permitted, and the entry stays recorded as mixed.
Psilocybin Media Group. "Nepal: psilocybin legal status." The Psilocybin Record, accession NP-001, version of 23 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/nepal