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Massachusetts

Psilocybin legal status, legislation & access — 2025

State status

Partial decriminalization

Federal scheduling

Schedule I

Key legislation

None statewide

Last reviewed

June 2026

State-level frameworks do not change federal controlled-substance status.

Status depends on the activity: possession, supervised administration, sale, transport, cultivation, research, and service provision may be treated differently.

What local context does not answer

Local context can explain policy history, state rules, city ordinances, public-health resources, and community support. It cannot determine whether a substance is safe, effective, lawful for a specific person, available through a specific channel, or appropriate for any individual.

Is it legal for me? Legal status depends on substance, activity, jurisdiction, date, and official source.

Can I buy it? Commercial access is separate from legal status and is not addressed here.

Is it safe? Safety depends on medical history, medications, psychiatric risk, dose, and context.

Does it work? Efficacy requires controlled outcome evidence, not location.

Is a source reliable? Source reliability requires independent verification and quality control.

Am I personally eligible? Eligibility depends on program rules, clinician review, and individual facts.

Enforcement context

Psilocybin and psilocyn are classified as Class C controlled substances under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 94C § 31. Several cities (Somerville, Cambridge, Northampton) have adopted local lowest-enforcement-priority resolutions, but no statewide decriminalization or regulated-access framework is in effect. The 2024 ballot measure (Question 4) was defeated. State-level penalties apply outside locally decriminalized jurisdictions.

Legislation

Somerville, MA (2021) Enacted

Somerville Entheogenic Plants Resolution

Signed: January 14, 2021

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.

Vote: City Council: 9–0

View full text →

Cambridge, MA (2021) Enacted

Cambridge Controlled Substances Policy Order

Signed: February 4, 2021

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.

Sponsors:

Vote: City Council: 8–1

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Northampton, MA (2021) Enacted

Northampton Entheogenic Plants Resolution

Signed: April 1, 2021

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.

Sponsors:

Vote: City Council: 8–0

View full text →

Cities in Massachusetts

Boston

Major Boston-area research context without a verified Boston city enforcement-priority policy. Research activity should be kept separate from local legal status.

Cambridge

Second Massachusetts city to adopt a local entheogenic-plants policy order in 2021, with Harvard and MIT research context kept separate from public legal access.

Northampton

Third early Massachusetts municipality to adopt an entheogenic-plants/local drug-enforcement-priority resolution in 2021, after Somerville and Cambridge.

Somerville

First Massachusetts community to adopt a local entheogenic-plants enforcement-priority resolution in January 2021; not first in the United States.

Worcester

Advocacy and study-request context only. No verified Worcester city enforcement-priority ordinance was found.

Local policy context

This section summarizes policy context. It is not legal advice or current-law verification.

Massachusetts has several local entheogenic-plant enforcement-priority or support resolutions, but no statewide regulated-access framework after voters rejected Question 4 in November 2024. The state page must distinguish confirmed local-policy municipalities from research-only places like Boston and advocacy/study-request places like Worcester. Psilocybin is listed under Massachusetts Class C controlled-substance law and federal Schedule I law; local resolutions do not change either baseline.

Question 4 failed The proposed Natural Psychedelic Substances Act was defeated in the November 2024 statewide election.

Local policies do not equal statewide legality Municipal resolutions may lower local enforcement priority, but they do not create statewide possession, sales, or therapeutic-access rights.

Correct local-policy count language Avoid saying 'five cities' unless the page lists and verifies exactly which cities are being counted. Safer language is 'several Massachusetts municipalities.'

Boston and Worcester are separate categories Boston is research context only; Worcester is advocacy/study-request context only unless an enacted city policy is verified.

Correct state-law wording Massachusetts uses Class A-E controlled-substance classes; psilocybin/psilocyn appear in Class C, while federal law places psilocybin in Schedule I.

Legal and policy timeline

This timeline documents policy and legal history. It does not describe current access options.

Jan 14, 2021News
Somerville adopts first Massachusetts local entheogenic-plants resolution
Somerville became the first Massachusetts community to take this local enforcement-priority step; it was not first in the United States.source →
Feb 3, 2021News
Cambridge adopts related policy order
Cambridge followed Somerville with a city policy order on entheogenic plants and broader controlled-substance enforcement priorities.source →
Apr 1, 2021Official (city)
Northampton approves Resolution 21.207
Northampton became the third early Massachusetts municipality reported to adopt a related local resolution.source →
Nov 5, 2024News
Massachusetts voters reject Question 4
Question 4 was defeated, leaving no statewide regulated-access framework for natural psychedelic substances.source →
Jun 21, 2026Official (state)
Massachusetts state-law wording corrected
Psilocybin/psilocyn are listed in Massachusetts Class C, while federal law classifies psilocybin as Schedule I; pages should not use federal-schedule wording as the Massachusetts state classification.source →

Frequently asked questions

Why did Massachusetts voters reject Question 4 if cities adopted ordinances?

Local enforcement-priority resolutions and a statewide regulated-access framework are different policy questions. Question 4 would have created a statewide system; voters rejected it in November 2024.

Do Massachusetts city ordinances change state law?

No. Local city resolutions do not change Massachusetts controlled-substance law. Psilocybin/psilocyn are listed under Massachusetts Class C, and federal law remains Schedule I.

Why doesn't Boston have an ordinance despite being research capital?

Boston has significant research context, but no verified municipal enforcement-priority ordinance. Research activity should not be treated as local decriminalization or consumer access.