North Carolina
Psilocybin is illegal in North Carolina as of 16 Aug 2026.1
- Corrected and re-checked against 2 cited sources at this review.
1. What the law is
A procedural deadline ended North Carolina's only psychedelics bill. SB 568 (2025) would have set up a 16-member task force to study psychedelic-assisted therapy; it never got a floor vote and missed the legislature's crossover deadline, so it cannot advance on its own this biennium. Psilocybin is Schedule I here and nothing has been enacted.
Psilocybin is illegal in North Carolina, where psilocybin and psilocin are classified as Schedule I controlled substances under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89. Manufacture, sale, delivery, and possession are prohibited; possession of psilocybin mushrooms is generally charged as a felony under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act (Chapter 90, Article 5). North Carolina has not enacted any statute authorizing medical, therapeutic, or decriminalized use.
North Carolina classifies psilocybin and psilocin as Schedule I substances under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89, a designation the legislature has not amended. The only recent reform effort was Senate Bill 568 (2025-2026), the "Innovative Treatments for Mental Health Act," introduced in March 2025, which would have created a 16-member task force of veterans, clinicians, tribal leaders, researchers, and public health officials to study psychedelic-assisted therapy. By its own terms the bill would not have legalized psychedelics in North Carolina; it proposed study only. SB 568 was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations and never received a floor vote, missing the General Assembly's May 8, 2025 crossover deadline, so it cannot advance on its own during this biennium absent its language being added to another bill before the session ends. Because no reform has been enacted, psilocybin remains illegal in North Carolina now, and neither SB 568 nor its proposed task force creates any current legal access.
2. Pending legislation
Introduced but not yet law. If a bill passes, this record changes with it.
SB 568 (2025-2026): psychedelic-assisted therapy task force; missed May 8, 2025 crossover deadline without a floor vote, effectively dead unless its language is inserted into another bill before session end
3. History
The laws behind today’s status, when each took effect, and every review since, in order.
North Carolina enacts the Controlled Substances Act (Chapter 90, Article 5), with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89 establishing Schedule I; psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I controlled substances.
Senate Bill 568, the "Innovative Treatments for Mental Health Act," is introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Operations, proposing a 16-member task force to study psychedelic-assisted therapy without legalizing any substance.
SB 568 misses the General Assembly's crossover deadline without a floor vote, leaving it unable to advance on its own this biennium.
North Carolina had been recorded as mixed. SB 568 was a study bill and it died at the May 2025 crossover deadline, so the status moved to illegal.
North Carolina's entry was checked again on 16 August 2026. The legislature's website blocks our requests, so the record could not be re-read and nothing was changed.
4. Trials in North Carolina
Interventional psilocybin trials with at least one study site in North Carolina, 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 2 trials with a study site in North Carolina, as of Aug 2026. Closed covers trials terminated, suspended, withdrawn or left unverified.
| Registry ID | Trial | Phase | Sponsor | Status | 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 Monroe Biomedical Research, Monroe | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor Cybin IRL Limited | Status Active, not recruiting | Started |
| NCT06303739 (opens in new tab) | Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression (opens in new tab)Site at UNC Chapel Hill Medical Center, Chapel Hill | Phase Phase 3 | Sponsor University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Status Active, not recruiting | Started |
ClinicalTrials.gov data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
5. Common questions
Is psilocybin legal in North Carolina?
No. Psilocybin and psilocin are Schedule I controlled substances under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89, making manufacture, sale, delivery, and possession illegal under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act. The state has not enacted any medical, therapeutic, or decriminalization law.
What is the penalty for possessing psilocybin mushrooms in North Carolina?
Psilocybin mushrooms are a Schedule I controlled substance under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89, and possession is generally prosecuted as a felony under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act. Charges, sentencing classification, and penalties depend on the amount involved and the defendant's prior record under North Carolina's structured sentencing law; this page is not legal advice.
Did North Carolina Senate Bill 568 legalize psilocybin?
No. SB 568 (2025-2026) would only have created a 16-member task force to study psychedelic-assisted therapy and, by its own terms, would not have legalized psychedelics. The bill missed the May 8, 2025 crossover deadline without a floor vote and did not become law, so it created no legal access to psilocybin.
Is there any legal medical or therapeutic psilocybin program in North Carolina?
No. North Carolina has not enacted any statute authorizing a medical, therapeutic, or supervised psilocybin program. Psilocybin remains a Schedule I controlled substance under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-89, and no state-regulated access exists.
Are magic mushrooms ("shrooms") legal in North Carolina?
"Magic mushrooms" and "shrooms" are common names for fungi that contain psilocybin. Psilocybin is illegal in North Carolina as of 16 Aug 2026. Some laws control the compound and the fungus separately, so this record states the position for psilocybin in North Carolina.
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.ncleg.gov (opens in new tab) · ncleg.gov
- 2.northcarolinahealthnews.org (opens in new tab) · northcarolinahealthnews.org
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.
North Carolina's entry was checked again on 16 August 2026. The legislature's website blocks our requests, so the record could not be re-read and nothing was changed.
North Carolina had been recorded as mixed. SB 568 was a study bill and it died at the May 2025 crossover deadline, so the status moved to illegal.
North Carolina: psilocybin legal status. The Psilocybin Record. Accession US-NC-001. Status as of 16 Aug 2026. https://psilocybinlegalization.com/record/north-carolina
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