Magic mushrooms are legal for adult use in Oregon, and are up for legalization in Washington, California, and Michigan. Currently-being-tested drugs made by COMPASS Pathways and Usona institute were awarded FDA ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ status which is meant to get a product to market faster. So it suffices to say that magic mushrooms are definitely coming. If you’re interested in growing them, the first thing you’ll need are magic mushroom spores. Here’s a little on the legality of these spores, and the best places to buy them.
Magic mushroom spores are a super important part of the mushroom growing experience, and getting quality products is the difference between a great batch of mushrooms, and…nothing. Check out these companies if you’re currently on the quest for spores. We’re a publication reporting on all that’s important in this growing landscape of psychedelics. Stay current by subscribing to The Cannadelics Weekly Newsletter, and get all the necessary news, as well as being first up for new product promotions, as they start coming out.
- Though this article goes over where you can buy magic mushroom spores, we are not promoting anyone to perform an illegal activity, nor are we encouraging anyone to use a site for a different purpose than the site intends.
Magic mushroom spores
Magic mushrooms are a set of fungi which all contain psychedelic compounds like psilocybin and psilocin. These substances are classed as hallucinogens, which are a type of psychoactive drug. Hallucinogens are known for producing often vivid, fake sensory experiences, wherein a user sees/hears/feels/smells/tastes something that isn’t actually there. They’re also known for causing feelings of euphoria and well-being, feelings of connectedness to other people and the universe at large, a sense of spirituality and mystical experiences, alteration in perception and mood, and to induce life changing experiences.
Magic mushrooms, like other fungi, reproduce by creating and letting out one-celled egg-like structures, called spores. Spores are both a product of sexual and asexual reproduction depending on the specific fungi, and like other eggs and seeds, each spore is capable of growing into a mushroom.
Spores for mushrooms are often sold in what look like big hypodermic needles, and are sold for all kinds of mushrooms legally. This includes magic mushroom spores, which specifically produce the Schedule I substances psilocybin and psilocin, the serotonergic compounds that lead to psychedelic effects. Mushrooms themselves often fit into legal loopholes throughout the world, and the legality of the spores is certainly a loophole in and of itself.
Legality of magic mushroom spores
Psilocybin and psilocin are both schedule I substances in the US, which means growing a plant that has those compounds, makes it an illegal plant. Therefore, magic mushrooms in general are federally illegal. But this is not true of the spores. The spores contain none of the two psychedelic compounds that their grown versions have. As such, magic mushroom spores are not actually illegal, and can be purchased and sold within legal limits, thus creating the magic mushroom spores loophole. The exception to this, are the states California, Georgia, and Idaho, which outlaw specific (but not all) magic mushroom spores.
Psychedelic mushrooms in general fit into a global legal loophole, caused by a legal contradiction. Both psilocybin, psilocin, as well as their derivatives, are in Schedule I of the UN’s Convention on Psychotropic substances, an international treaty from 1971 which determines the legality of different psychoactive substances on a global level.
The contradiction enters because the actual plants are not scheduled under that treaty, or any other. So there are laws outlawing some specific plant components, but there isn’t a law against the whole plants. This was made clear in 2001, when the International Narcotics Control Board (the independent organization tasked with monitoring how the UN implements drug treaties), responded to the Dutch ministry of health about a question regarding mushroom legality. It stated:
“As a matter of international law, no plants (natural material) containing psilocine and psilocybin are at present controlled under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. Consequently, preparations made of these plants are not under international control and, therefore, not subject of the articles of the 1971 Convention.”
In other countries you can also see peculiar laws. Like Mexico, for example, where the cultivation and use of magic mushrooms are illegal, except if done for religious reasons, and if the mushrooms are picked from the wild. Then, somehow, it’s totally cool and within legal limits. So if you find yourself some mushrooms in the wild, and take them for ceremonial reasons, you’re all good!
Where to buy magic mushroom spores
Right now, the best way to get magic mushroom spores, aside from getting them off someone you know, is to find a trusted site on the internet. This is often difficult to do, as the internet is full of low-class vendors looking to rip a person off. But that doesn’t mean good sites and operations don’t exist, and the following are a few to check into if you want quality spores.
I brought it down to three options based on Trustpilot reviews, although Trustpilot doesn’t necessarily match up to other review sites like SporeAuthority. Even so, I found this is to be the best method. I think a good thing to remember is that in all of these cases, a positive result depends not just on the product, but on the grower and growing environment. While some bad reviews for some companies state the lack of a product, which is obviously problematic, complaints of products not working properly should be taken with a grain of salt, as we know nothing about what the grower did.
I want to add, that even though I used Trustpilot, I didn’t use it blindly. Companies like Pacific Northwest Spore, Co. were disregarded. This company has 35 reviews, all done recently, all giving it 5 stars, with only very basic information in the reviews. The company website also points directly to these Trustpilot reviews, with nothing else on the internet backing up this level of quality. I concluded the reviews are likely fake and passed over this company. The following are the best scored companies I could find that are consistently rated well across the internet.
Interested shoppers should check reddit sites for vendors, like R/sporetraders, or this list of vendors here, as well. Still best to do some research before making a purchase, as information can get outdated and updated very quickly. Once you’ve got your spores, you can check out this general how-to guide for growing mushrooms on your own.
Magic mushroom spore vendors
1) Sporworks – this company holds a 4.1 on Trustpilot with 93 reviews, and offers products like specialty mushroom cultures, spore syringes, and spore prints. It carries standard strains, as well as rare and exotic mushroom spores, and adds new spores to its catalogue frequently. It also sells tons of equipment for the growing process. Syringes come as low as $10 for Panaeolus (Copelandia) tropicalis, and $12 for Psilocybe cubensis, and spore prints go up to about $38 for strains like Psilocybe azurescens, Psilocybe Mexicana, Psilocybe subtropicalis, Psilocybe tampanensis etc.
Specialty syringes are $18 and include Agaricus bitorquis, Coprinus comatus, and Ganoderma lucidum, while the company offers $55 culture slants for Stropharia rugoso-annulata, Panellus stipticus, and Pleurotus columbinus, among others.
The company accepts payment via credit card by phone, mail orders, and cryptocurrency, orders are shipped within 2-3 days of payment, and should arrive 3-5 days from shipment. All international shipping is currently suspended, meaning only customers in the US can access this company’s services at the moment. Sporeworks offers a return and refund policy within 30 days, requires buyers to be 18+, and doesn’t sell certain specified strains to consumers in California, Idaho, or Georgia, based on local laws. This company has been operating since 1998, making it one of the longer running mushroom companies out there.
2) PremiumSpores.com – This company holds a 3.7 on Trustpilot with 55 reviews. The company offers tons of Psilocybe cubensis strains like Golden Teacher, Penis Envy, and Z-Strain. Prices range from $12.99 for strains like Malabar Coast Spores and Pink Buffalo, to $33.99 for Entheogen Explosion, and Luminous Lucies. It also offers Psilocybe Mexicana spore syringes in strains: Psilocybe Mexicana Galindoi and Psilocybe Mexicana: Jalisco for $26.99; and Cubensis Mushroom Spores including Thai Tanic, Air Force 1, and Purple Mystic Mushroom.
PremiumSpores doesn’t ship banned strains to states with laws against them, and technically Cubensis and Mexicana spores are all sold only for microscopic research and identification, though it seems the company probably isn’t looking too hard into what consumers are doing. The company ships with discreet packaging, and serves the US and Canada only, and offers different levels of expedited shipping at different costs. Customers can pay via Zelle, Bitcoin or Etherium, or with cash, check, or money order.
3) Earth’s Tongue – This site holds a 3.7 on Trustpilot with 13 reviews. The company is geared toward growing supplies for high end fungi, scientific technology, supplies for mycology, tools for growing, sterilized substrates, and sterilized media, among other products. The company offers “gourmet and medicinal mushroom cultures for growing, cooking, restaurant and gastronomic use, research in medical value, and making extracts for therapeutic use.”
The company makes no specific mention of psychedelic mushrooms on its site, but does offer plenty of psilocybin spore options, like B+, Figi Island, and Guadalajara. Earth’s Tongue has separated itself a bit, with its own proprietary patented products, like the “New Moon” spore solution, which is (according to the company) contaminate proof, over long periods, and even with multiple uses. It also developed a “Deep Freeze” spore solution which allows for consistent temperature storage over long periods, which is touted as being great for storage, as well as ensuring no damage during transport, no matter the season.
The company doesn’t ship to places where there are restrictions, but otherwise can ship anywhere in the world. Shipping and delivery dates are based on the order and location, so buyers must make an order to see when its expected arrival date is. The company accepts returns within 30 days, and sets shipping rates according to product weights, which can be found on the specific product pages.
Conclusion
There are plenty of smaller companies which don’t have reviews yet, but which likely supply high-quality products. And there are some well-known companies I bypassed, but which you might want to try from your own research. One day it might be commonplace to go to your local corner store to pick up magic mushroom spores, but that day is still way off. For now, its best to do your research if you want to buy spores, and find the company that seems most trustworthy to you.
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