A bipartisan and bicameral group of nine Maine lawmakers introduced legislation that would decriminalize the possession of personal-use amounts of psilocybin.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
Filed today, House Bill 1034 has been referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety for consideration.
If enacted, the bill would remove criminal penalties for adults 21 and older who possess up to one gram of psilocybin or one ounce of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The legislation does not establish a regulated framework for sales or therapeutic use but instead seeks to prevent individuals from facing criminal prosecution for possessing small, personal-use quantities.
The effort follows a growing nationwide trend of state and local governments reconsidering laws related to psychedelic substances, particularly in light of emerging research on psilocybin’s potential mental health benefits. Oregon and Colorado have already passed broader psilocybin measures, while local jurisdictions in states such as California, Washington, and Michigan have enacted decriminalization policies.
The bill’s introduction marks the latest push to reform Maine’s drug laws, following the state’s legalization of recreational marijuana in 2016.
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