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Massachusetts
Psilocybin legal status, legislation & access — 2025
Enforcement context
Massachusetts has no statewide decriminalisation law. Psilocybin is a Class C controlled substance under Massachusetts General Law, with possession carrying up to one year in jail for a first offence. However, a wave of municipal ordinances beginning in January 2021 has significantly reduced enforcement in several cities. Somerville became the first Massachusetts city to decriminalise entheogenic plants and fungi on January 14, 2021. Cambridge followed on February 4, 2021. Northampton enacted its ordinance on April 1, 2021. Boston has not formally decriminalised but hosts Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — the country's densest concentration of psilocybin clinical trial infrastructure.
Cities in Massachusetts
Legislation
First Massachusetts city to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi, and among the earliest cities on the U.S. East Coast (Denver, May 2019, and Oakland, June 2019, were the first U.S. cities overall). The unanimous 9-0 resolution directs the Somerville Police Department to treat enforcement of laws against entheogenic plants as among its lowest priorities. Anchor / origin-story city for the Massachusetts cluster.
Second Massachusetts city to decriminalize. The 8-1 policy order makes arrest of adults for using or possessing controlled substances among the city's lowest law-enforcement priorities, going somewhat broader than entheogens alone. Led by City Councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler. Cambridge is home to MIT and Harvard; tech and research nexus of the Massachusetts cluster.
Third Massachusetts city to decriminalize, by unanimous 8-0 vote. The resolution deprioritizes enforcement against possession, use, cultivation, and distribution of entheogenic plants and fungi, and states that no city or police funds should be used to enforce such laws. Co-sponsored by City Councilors Rachel Maiore (Ward 7) and William Dwight (At Large). Western Massachusetts; Smith College; rural-progressive angle within the cluster.
Frequently asked questions
Is psilocybin legal in Massachusetts?
Psilocybin is a Class C controlled substance in Massachusetts. However, Somerville (January 2021), Cambridge (February 4, 2021), and Northampton (April 1, 2021) have enacted local decriminalisation ordinances making personal possession the lowest law-enforcement priority in those cities.
Why is Somerville significant in the psilocybin decriminalisation movement?
Somerville was the first city in the United States to decriminalise the possession of entheogenic plants and fungi, passing its ordinance on January 14, 2021. This made Somerville the origin point of a US municipal decriminalisation wave that spread to Cambridge, Northampton, and dozens of other cities nationwide.
Is psilocybin decriminalised in Boston?
Boston has not formally decriminalised psilocybin. However, Boston's academic medical complex — Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess — makes it the leading psilocybin research hub in New England, with state therapeutic access legislation likely to originate from this ecosystem.