Switzerland
Psilocybin is legal for medical use in Switzerland as of 17 Aug 2026.1
- Checked against 2 cited sources at this review.
1. What the law is
Federal Act on Narcotics (BetmG, SR 812.121) Art. 8(5): FOPH/BAG exceptional licenses for limited medical use of prohibited narcotics (psilocybin available since 2021). Art. 19b: personal consumption of negligible quantities not punishable. Psilocybin sits inside the class that Art. 8(5) governs by way of the EDI ordinance on the schedules of narcotics and psychotropic substances (BetmVV-EDI, SR 812.121.11, consolidation of 13 March 2026), which lists Psilocybin and Psilocin in Verzeichnis d, and separately lists hallucinogenic mushrooms of the genera Conocybe, Panaeolus, Psilocybe and Stropharia.1
Access in Switzerland is granted one decision at a time. The Federal Office of Public Health issues exceptional authorizations for limited medical use of otherwise prohibited narcotics under article 8 paragraph 5 of the Narcotics Act, and psilocybin joined the program in 2021. In 2024 the Office issued 686 of them, 322 for psilocybin, and just under 100 physicians held them at the end of that year; roughly 1,660 treatments were carried out in 2024, about 720 of them with psilocybin. Read those figures carefully. An authorization normally runs twelve months, covers several treatments and includes continuations of an existing therapy, so it counts permissions rather than patients. No psilocybin medicine holds Swiss marketing authorization, and the route is a compassionate one rather than an approved therapy.
2. Pending legislation
Introduced but not yet law. If a bill passes, this record changes with it.
Ongoing policy discussion on insurance reimbursement and on certified proficiency requirements for prescribing physicians, recorded in the peer-reviewed July 2025 program review.
3. History
The laws behind today’s status, when each took effect, and every review since, in order.
Medical use status takes effect.
Switzerland's entry now rests on the Federal Office of Public Health's own page rather than a law firm article, and the 2024 program figures are brought up to date. The status is unchanged.
Switzerland's entry now reports 686 exceptional authorisations for 2024, 322 of them for psilocybin, citing the Federal Office of Public Health's own figures. It no longer describes these as patients: an authorisation runs about twelve months, covers several treatments and includes continuations of an existing therapy.
Switzerland's entry now cites the schedule that actually names psilocybin, rather than resting only on the Narcotics Act article, which does not. Nothing about the law itself has changed.
4. Trials in Switzerland
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one study site in Switzerland, 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 14 trials with a study site in Switzerland, as of Aug 2026. Closed covers trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified.
| Registry ID | Trial | Phase | Sponsor | Status | Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07345858 (opens in new tab) | Salivary Oxytocin as a Biomarker of Psychedelic Treatment (opens in new tab)Site at Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva | Phase Not stated | Sponsor University of Geneva, Switzerland | Status Enrolling by invitation | Started |
| NCT06796361 (opens in new tab) | Role of the Serotonin 2A Receptor in Psilocybin-induced Altered States of Consciousness (opens in new tab)Recruiting at Clinical Trial Unit, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT06899334 (opens in new tab) | Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in Healthy Participants (opens in new tab)Recruiting at University Hospital, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Recruiting | Started |
| NCT05570708 (opens in new tab) | The Role of Personal Experience for the Therapeutic Attitude in the Context of Substance-assisted Therapy Training (opens in new tab)Site at University Hospital Basel, Basel | Phase Not applicable | Sponsor Felix Mueller | Status Enrolling by invitation | Started |
| NCT06884514 (opens in new tab) | Acute Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (opens in new tab)Site at University Hospital Basel, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT06081179 (opens in new tab) | Does Serotonin System Stimulation Increase Pro-social Behavior? - A Comparative Pharmacological Neuroscientific Study in Healthy Humans (opens in new tab)Site at Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Zurich | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University of Zurich | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT05523401 (opens in new tab) | Acute Effects of 2C-B Compared With MDMA and Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (opens in new tab)Site at University Hospital Basel, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT03853577 (opens in new tab) | Characterization of Altered Waking States of Consciousness in Healthy Humans (opens in new tab)Site at Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Zurich | Phase Not applicable | Sponsor University of Zurich | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT04141501 (opens in new tab) | Clinical and Mechanistic Effects of Psilocybin in Alcohol Addicted Patients (opens in new tab)Site at Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Zürich, Zurich | Phase Phase 2 | Sponsor University of Zurich | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT07164287 (opens in new tab) | Retrospective Observational Study of Intensity Effects in Psychedelic-assisted Treatment (opens in new tab)Site at Geneva University Hospital, Geneva | Phase Not stated | Sponsor University Hospital, Geneva | Status Active, not recruiting | Started |
| NCT04227756 (opens in new tab) | Comparative Acute Effects of LSD, Psilocybin and Mescaline (opens in new tab)Site at University Hospital Basel, Clinical Trial Unit, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Completed | Started |
| NCT03912974 (opens in new tab) | Effects of SERT Inhibition on the Subjective Response to Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (opens in new tab)Site at University Hospital Basel, Clinical Trial Unit, Basel | Phase Phase 1 | Sponsor University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland | Status Completed | Started |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
2 more trials on file for Switzerland.
The table above lists the first 12, recruiting first. The register opens on all 14 and narrows further by condition, status, and stage.
See all 14 Switzerland trials in the register
Condition Healthy (8) · Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (2) · Depressive Disorder, Major (1) · Altered Waking States of Consciousness in Healthy Humans (1) · Alcohol Use Disorder (1)
Phase Phase 1 (8) · Phase 2 (2) Status Completed (9) · Recruiting (2) · Enrolling by invitation (2)
Registry records remain public on ClinicalTrials.gov and EU CTIS.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in Switzerland?
Psilocybin is legal for medical use in Switzerland as of 17 Aug 2026.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in Switzerland?
"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin. Psilocybin is legal for medical use in Switzerland as of 17 Aug 2026. Some laws control the compound and the fungus separately, so this record states the position for psilocybin in Switzerland.
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.bag.admin.ch (opens in new tab) · bag.admin.ch
- 2.bag.admin.ch (opens in new tab) · bag.admin.ch
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.
Switzerland's entry now cites the schedule that actually names psilocybin, rather than resting only on the Narcotics Act article, which does not. Nothing about the law itself has changed.
Switzerland's entry now reports 686 exceptional authorisations for 2024, 322 of them for psilocybin, citing the Federal Office of Public Health's own figures. It no longer describes these as patients: an authorisation runs about twelve months, covers several treatments and includes continuations of an existing therapy.
Switzerland's entry now rests on the Federal Office of Public Health's own page rather than a law firm article, and the 2024 program figures are brought up to date. The status is unchanged.
Switzerland: psilocybin legal status. The Psilocybin Record. Accession CH-001. Status as of 17 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/switzerland
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