Our most commonly asked question is whether buying spore syringes is legal? The answer in most cases is a resounding yes, BUT, it also depends. To understand why spore syringes are generally legal you have to understand:
- what a spore syringe is, and
- the legal legislation surrounding magic mushrooms.
First, it’s important to clarify the type of spore syringes we are referring to. In theory, creating a spore syringe from any mushroom is possible, as all mushrooms produce spores. We have yet to come across spore syringes for growing gourmet or medicinal mushrooms; they are usually sold in a liquid culture, or as spawn. We are therefore referring to any spore syringes containing mushroom spores that when cultivated contain psilocybin, e.g., psilocybe cubensis or panaeolus cyanescens. Any mushroom containing psilocybin is also referred to as a magic mushroom. We will use magic mushroom and psilocybin containing mushrooms as synonyms.
What is a spore syringe?
A spore syringe is simply a syringe containing two ingredients: water and mushroom spores. The water does not contain any nutrients and acts simply as a suspension for the spores. As the water used is typically a distilled, non-nutrient H20, the spores won’t germinate and start producing mycelium. This is an important point to note because as soon as mycelium starts forming, the legal status completely changes.
Are spore syringes legal?
While laws vary depending on location, the drug associated with magic mushrooms that is banned in all but a few countries, is psilocybin. During digestion, the human body breaks down psilocybin into psilocin, which contains psychedelic properties; hence the name “magic mushrooms”.
It is not the magic mushroom that’s illegal, rather the substance, psilocybin, that it contains. Magic mushroom spores don’t contain psilocybin. This makes magic mushroom spores completely legal in most cases.
It is not clear whether psilocybin becomes present during germination, when mycelium starts forming. Although most data suggests the mycelium does not contain psilocybin we would stay away from liquid cultures to be on the safe side. The other issue with liquid cultures is the potential intent to cultivate. Please remember that when magic mushroom spores are legal it is under the premise that they are being used for microscopy, NOT cultivation.
When are spore syringes illegal?
Magic mushroom spores are still not legal in some places, e.g., in the US the spores are illegal in 3 of the 50 states, namely: California, Idaho and Georgia. When in doubt, before purchasing, it’s worth checking with your local government. Wikipedia has a handy reference point which gives the legal status of psilocybin mushrooms. On the cultivation side of the table provided you can sometimes see the legal status for spores (in the UK cultivation is illegal but spores for microscopy are legal).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mushrooms
Again, we would check with your local government as Wikipedia is not always a reliable source.
When using spores for cultivating mushrooms, and living in a country where psilocybin is not tolerated, you’re now on the wrong side of the law.
The spores sold at mycotown are legally produced in Jamaica in a registered lab. It would be completely illegal for us to create spore syringes from spore prints of psilocybe cubensis mushrooms that we have grown ourselves. When in doubt as to whether a spore vendor is legally obtaining spores, always exercise extreme caution before making a purchase. The spores you obtain, besides being produced illegally, will probably have been subjected to less than ideal conditions, with increased likelihood of contamination.
Why do people buy spore syringes?
- For the purposes of studying the spores under a microscope, as hobbyists or mycology researchers.
- To cultivate mushrooms. This is legal in some countries and the law, as previously mentioned, is constantly changing.
What is the legal future of magic mushrooms?
Not long ago, many countries had a different stance on the legality of magic mushrooms. In the UK, up until 2005, you were able to buy magic mushrooms legally from places such as Camden market.
The introduction of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 made possession, cultivation and sale of magic mushrooms illegal in the UK. The drug Psilocybin is currently Class A, meaning that possession carries a maximum prison sentence of 7 years and an unlimited fine. If caught dealing the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.
Until 2005 the law only specified that mushrooms that had been prepared (dried) were illegal. This meant that as long as the mushrooms were fresh, no offence had been committed. Unfortunately the Drugs Act 2005 amended the existing legislation making magic mushrooms in any form completely illegal.
More recently the law in some places is begining to revert back to the good old days. Denver has become the first US city to decriminalise magic mushrooms (NOT the same as legalising), with other cities following suit. Given the research currently being undertaken on the benefits of psilocybin for people suffering from conditions such as depression and PTSD, we believe this trend will continue. If Big Pharma decides psilocybin is a drug they can use, it would be unsurprising if psilocybin starts to become legal in those countries they wish to distribute. This will likely come with some caveats. As is the case with distributing canabis in the US, licensing of some sort, will likely be enforced.
There are also many supporters touting the benefits of micro-dosing psilocybin, with websites such as: thethirdwave.co providing information and courses on how to do this. Silicone valley has seen a lot of CEO’s and tech entrepreneurs publicly announcing their support of this practice. Unfortunately reporting on such topics can often blur the lines of the legal status of magic mushrooms.
While we don’t promote magic mushroom use in any way, and respect the law, we believe the laws surrounding magic mushrooms are absurd. In our opinion, the government should not dictate the legal right of an adult to ingest anything that grows completely naturally. Additionally, reports showing the dangers of different substances show psilocybin to be much less harmful than e.g., alcohol, as shown in this chart from https://tripsafe.org/shrooms/
For a chart on the legal status of magic mushrooms (at the time of writing) in your country, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_psilocybin_mushrooms.
We hope this article provides those of you that want to purchase psilocybe cubensis spore syringes with the information you need to stay on the right side of the law. If there’s anything we have missed, or that you are still unsure about, please comment below.
You can purchase Psilocybin Cubensis spore syringes and prints here.
In conclusion
The legality of magic mushroom spore syringes may vary depending on the laws of your specific country or state. In some places, possession and sale of spores for microscopy purposes may be legal, while in other places it may be illegal. It’s important to research the laws in your area and make sure you are in compliance with them before purchasing or possessing any spore syringes. Additionally, it’s important to note that using spores to cultivate mushrooms for consumption may be illegal in many places.