Are Psychedelics Legal in the Netherlands?
Curious if Ayahuasca is legal in the Netherlands? What about Psilocybin?
Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Netherlands has taken a tolerant approach toward psychedelics.
Frshminds take a dive into the Netherlands’ drug laws so you can make the most educated decision possible when researching psychedelic retreats in the Netherlands.*
The Netherlands considers psilocybin to be a soft drug, but its policy towards psilocybin is still confusing. The answer to this question depends on the format of the psilocybin…..mushroom, spore, or truffle?
Prior to December 2008, it was legal to possess unprocessed psychoactive mushrooms as they were not covered under the opium law and were available for purchase in “smart shops”. The Netherlands banned the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms after the suicide of an intoxicated 17-year-old girl, with a history of psychological problems, who jumped to her death on a school trip, and since December 2008, possession of psychoactive mushrooms has been forbidden by law. In fact, list 1 of the Netherlands’ Opium Act considers psilocin/psilocybin-containing mushrooms to be hard drugs.
This resulted in the banning of 200 mushroom psychoactive species. The Dutch prosecutor’s office has stated that they will prosecute people found in possession of more than 0.5g dried or 5g fresh psilocybin-containing mushrooms.
Having said that, it seems that both mushroom spores and truffles are not illegal in the Netherlands and are available for sale in “smart shop” as a legal product, subject to sales tax.
*Disclaimer: Please be aware that information found on Frshminds is based on the best available sources, but is in no way a substitute for proper legal advice. We offer no guarantee that this information is accurate.
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