Pennsylvania
Psilocybin is illegal in Pennsylvania as of 16 Aug 2026.1
- Corrected and re-checked against 2 cited sources at this review.
1. What the law is
Neither bill before the Pennsylvania General Assembly would open a route on its own; both would follow Washington. SB 1149, from Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, would amend the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act so that psilocybin is rescheduled in step with federal action. It was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on 23 January 2026 and has not moved since. HB 1439, from Rep. Jennifer O'Mara with Rep. Craig Williams, would align state scheduling with FDA approval and federal enforcement decisions; it went to the House Health Committee on 12 May 2025 and has not moved either. An earlier pair of research bills, HB 1959 and HB 2421, the Psilocybin Data Act, never left that committee. Psilocybin sits with the Schedule I hallucinogenic substances at 28 Pa. Code 25.72.
Is psilocybin legal in Pennsylvania? No. Psilocybin is illegal in Pennsylvania, where it is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972 (35 P.S. § 780-104). Unauthorized possession, manufacture, or distribution is a criminal offense under state law, and no statute provides for legal or supervised use. Pennsylvania has not decriminalized psilocybin at the state level.
Psilocybin remains a Schedule I substance under Pennsylvania's Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, so it is illegal in the Commonwealth as of June 2026, and pending legislation has created no current legal access. In the 2025-2026 session, Senator Tracy Pennycuick introduced Senate Bill 1149, which would amend the Controlled Substance Act to reschedule FDA-approved psilocybin-based therapies under a framework described in the sponsor memo as 'Veteran Access to Breakthrough Mental Health Therapies'; the bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 23, 2026 and has not received a committee vote or further action. Earlier research-focused measures, including the Psilocybin Data Act introduced as House Bills 1959 and 2421 in prior sessions, never advanced out of the House Health Committee and were not enacted. Because each of these measures is either pending or dead in committee, none has changed the substance's Schedule I status or authorized any lawful possession or use.
2. Pending legislation
Introduced but not yet law. If a bill passes, this record changes with it.
SB 1149 (2025-2026 session, Sen. Pennycuick): would amend the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act to reschedule psilocybin in step with federal action; referred to Senate Judiciary 23 Jan 2026, no votes or committee action since. HB 1439 (Rep. O'Mara with Rep. Williams): would align state scheduling with FDA approval and federal enforcement decisions; referred to House Health 12 May 2025, no action since. A companion Right-to-Try bill for veterans was circulated for co-sponsorship on 15 Dec 2025 and had not been introduced as of 16 Aug 2026. All three statuses were checked 16 Aug 2026 on the General Assembly's own bill and co-sponsorship-memo pages; we have not searched the full session by keyword.
3. History
The laws behind today’s status, when each took effect, and every review since, in order.
Pennsylvania enacts the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, under which psilocybin is scheduled as a Schedule I controlled substance (35 P.S. § 780-104).
The Psilocybin Data Act is introduced (House Bill 1959) to authorize state-supervised psilocybin research; it remains in the House Health Committee without advancing.
A companion research measure (House Bill 2421) is introduced in the House and likewise does not advance out of committee.
Pennsylvania's entry now records both psilocybin bills before the General Assembly, HB 1439 as well as SB 1149. Neither has moved and the legal position is unchanged.
Senate Bill 1149 (Sen. Pennycuick), which would reschedule FDA-approved psilocybin-based therapies, is referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee; no committee vote or further action has followed as of June 2026.
Pennsylvania had been recorded as mixed. SB 1149 has never left the committee it was referred to and the older research bills are dead, so the status moved to illegal.
4. Trials in Pennsylvania
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one study site in Pennsylvania, 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 8 trials with a study site in Pennsylvania, as of Aug 2026. Closed covers trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified.
| Registry ID | Trial | Phase | Sponsor | Status | Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07406828 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin After Trauma Surgery for Pain (opens in new tab)Site at UPMC Presbyterian, Pittsburgh | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor Trent Emerick | Status Not yet recruiting | Started |
| NCT07226232 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor VA Office of Research and Development | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT06810310 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin on Brain Mechanisms of Motivation in OUD (opens in new tab)Recruiting at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor University of Pennsylvania | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT06793397 (opens in new tab) | A Study of a Deuterated Psilocin Analog (CYB003) in Humans With Major Depressive Disorder (opens in new tab)Recruiting at two sites in Philadelphia | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor Cybin IRL Limited | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT06786325 (opens in new tab) | Wellcome Leap Psilocybin for OUD (opens in new tab)Recruiting at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D. | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT06564818 (opens in new tab) | A Study of a Deuterated Psilocin Analog (CYB003) in Humans With Major Depressive Disorder (opens in new tab)Site at Adams Clinical Philadelphia, Philadelphia | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor Cybin IRL Limited | Status Active, not recruiting | Started |
| NCT05711940 (opens in new tab) | Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Two Administrations of COMP360 in Participants With TRD (opens in new tab)Site at Suburban Research Associates, Media | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Active, not recruiting | Started |
| NCT05624268 (opens in new tab) | Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of COMP360 in Participants With TRD (opens in new tab)Site at Global Medical Institutes, LLC, Scranton Medical Institute, Moosic | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor COMPASS Pathways | Status Completed | Started |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Pennsylvania?
No. Psilocybin is a Schedule I controlled substance under Pennsylvania's Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act (35 P.S. § 780-104), and its possession, manufacture, and distribution are criminal offenses under state law. No state statute authorizes legal or supervised use.
Has Pennsylvania decriminalized psilocybin?
No. Pennsylvania has not enacted any statewide decriminalization or enforcement-deprioritization measure for psilocybin. It remains a Schedule I controlled substance subject to criminal penalties under state law.
What would Senate Bill 1149 do?
Senate Bill 1149 (2025-2026 session, Sen. Tracy Pennycuick) would amend the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act to reschedule FDA-approved psilocybin-based therapies, with a stated focus on veteran access. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 23, 2026 and has not received a committee vote, so it has not changed the law.
Did Pennsylvania's earlier psilocybin research bills become law?
No. The Psilocybin Data Act, introduced in prior sessions as House Bills 1959 and 2421, would have authorized state-supervised psilocybin research, but the measures never advanced out of the House Health Committee and were not enacted.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Pennsylvania?
"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin. Psilocybin is illegal in Pennsylvania as of 16 Aug 2026. Some laws control the compound and the fungus separately, so this record states the position for psilocybin in Pennsylvania.
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.palegis.us (opens in new tab) · palegis.us
- 2.Marijuana Moment.Marijuana Moment (opens in new tab) · marijuanamoment.net
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.
Pennsylvania had been recorded as mixed. SB 1149 has never left the committee it was referred to and the older research bills are dead, so the status moved to illegal.
Pennsylvania's entry now records both psilocybin bills before the General Assembly, HB 1439 as well as SB 1149. Neither has moved and the legal position is unchanged.
Pennsylvania: psilocybin legal status. The Psilocybin Record. Accession US-PA-001. Status as of 16 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/pennsylvania
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