Psilocybin Laws in California
California does not have a statewide psilocybin program, but Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Arcata have decriminalized personal possession. A statewide bill (SB 58) was vetoed in 2023 and advocates are pursuing a 2026 ballot initiative.
Current Legal Status
Decriminalized in Select Cities
Psilocybin remains Schedule I under California law. Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Arcata have passed lowest-priority enforcement resolutions. SB 58 passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Newsom for lacking a treatment framework.
Key Legislation
Oakland resolution (June 2019) — first California city to deprioritize entheogen enforcement. Santa Cruz resolution (January 2020). Arcata resolution (2021). SB 58 (2023) vetoed. A 2026 ballot initiative is in development.
Decriminalization
Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Arcata have passed resolutions making psilocybin the lowest law enforcement priority. These are policy directives, not laws — they reduce risk but do not provide legal protection.
Clinical Trials
California leads national psilocybin research. UCSF, UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, and UCLA actively conduct trials. Multiple studies enrolling in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
Advocacy Organizations
Decriminalize Nature, California Psilocybin Campaign, UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, MAPS.
Related Resources
Directory in California
- Zide Door — Church of Ambrosia — Sacramental Church
- Ritual Church — Sacramental Church
- Holy Trinity of Divine Church — Sacramental Church
- Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple — Haight Street — Sacramental Church
- Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple — Vallejo Street — Sacramental Church
- Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple — Santa Cruz — Sacramental Church
- Sacred Garden Community — Sacramental Church
- Oakland Hyphae — Cultural & Cultivation Hub
- Fireside Project — Psychedelic Crisis Support
- MAPS — Clinical Trial Referrals — Clinical Research
- UCSF Psychedelics Division — Weill Institute for Neurosciences — Clinical Research
- Zide Door Fellowship of Entheogenic Plants — Religious Organization
- Pacific Mind Health — Ketamine Clinic
View all California directory listings →
People in California
- Pastor Dave Hodges — Founder & Pastor, Church of Ambrosia (Zide Door)
- Jason Stevens — Spokesperson & Founder, Rising Phoenix Entheogenic Temple
- Bob Otis — Founder & Senior Pastor, Sacred Garden Community
- Skye Weir-Mathews — Executive Director, Sacred Garden Community
- Larry Norris, PhD — Co-Founder & National Director, Decriminalize Nature
- Reggie Harris — Founder, Oakland Hyphae & Hyphae Cup
- Michelle Janikian — Author of 'Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion'; Journalist
- Dr. Akua Brown — Therapeutic & Community Leader
- Omar Figueroa, Esq. — Psychedelic Criminal Defense Attorney
- Meital Manzuri, Esq. — Founder, Manzuri Law
- Rick Doblin, PhD — Founder, MAPS
- Robin Carhart-Harris, Ph.D. — Head of Psychedelics Division, UCSF Weill Institute; Former Head, Imperial College London Psychedelic Research Group
- James Fadiman, Ph.D. — Psychedelic Researcher; Author; Microdosing Research Pioneer
- Michael Pollan — Author; Journalist; Food and Psychedelics Writer
- Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D. — Psychiatrist; LSD and Holotropic Breathwork Research Pioneer
- Charles Grob, M.D. — Child Psychiatrist; Palliative Care Psilocybin Pioneer; UCLA
- Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Ph.D. — Executive Director, Chacruna Institute; Psychedelic Policy Scholar
- Andrew Penn — Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Psychedelic Therapy Researcher, UCSF
- Boris Heifets — Anesthesiologist and Psychedelic Mechanisms Researcher, Stanford University
- Janis Phelps, Ph.D. — Director, Center for Psychedelic Therapies and Research, CIIS
- Conor Murray, Ph.D. — Neuroscientist; Psilocybin EEG Researcher, UCLA
- Françoise Bourzat — Psychedelic Guide, Educator, Author
- David Bronner — CEO, Dr. Bronner's; Psychedelic Policy Advocate
- Thomas Insel, M.D. — Former Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); Author
- Maria Mangini, Ph.D., FNP — Family Nurse Practitioner; Historian of Psychedelic Therapy; Researcher
- Richard Louis Miller, Ph.D. — Psychologist; Author; Host, Mind Body Health and Politics Radio
Societies & Organizations in California
- Decriminalize Nature National — Decriminalization Org
- Sacred Plant Alliance — Religious Coalition
- MAPS — Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies — research
- Fireside Project — harm reduction
- Psychedelic Science Accelerator — research
- Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines — research
- California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) — Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies Program — Academic Institution
- Entheogen Research, Integration and Education (ERIE) — Education and Research
- San Francisco Psychedelic Society — Community Society
- DanceSafe — Harm Reduction
- Decriminalize Nature Los Angeles (DNLA) — Advocacy
- Enthea — Education
- Psychedelic Society of Los Angeles (PSOLA) — Community
- Church of Ambrosia — Church
See how California compares to neighboring states and find therapy options for residents: