Is Muscimol Legal? Navigating Amanita Muscaria's Legal Landscape

Apart from being a cool-looking mushroom, Amanita Muscaria, or Fly Agaric – whichever name you prefer, has gained a certain reputation around the globe. Being quite easy to find in the widespread woodlands of the Northern hemisphere, but surprisingly not limited to that area, these mushrooms found their way into spiritual and medicinal practices of many cultures. From Native American tribes to English druids and Siberian shamans - traces can be found everywhere! No wonder a new spike of interest - some sort of «mushroom renaissance» - is flooding all corners of the Internet. But every person wishing to experience the benefits of A.Muscaria has the same problem on their mind: is Amanita legal? Is Muscimol legal? Let’s figure it out.

What is a «controlled substance»?

Simply speaking, controlled substances are drugs or chemicals that deemed to have higher than average risk of abuse and addiction, so the government regulates the manufacture, possession, and use of such products. There are a number of international treaties which provide countries with a legal framework for defining and regulating controlled substances, but each and every country is not limited by these agreements and, as a rule, significantly expand regulations while incorporating them into local laws.

Domestic regulations might be different from place to place, so whatever you do it’s always worth checking. Always better to be safe than sorry.

On the legality of Amanita Muscaria and muscimol

Surprisingly Amanita Muscaria and its isolated component muscimol are legal almost everywhere around the world and manage to stay under the legal radar. Maybe because of lower popularity in comparison to psilocybin-containing mushrooms, Fly Agaric has never caught any meticulous attention of the lawmakers and to this day has not been banned in most places: Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Ireland, Mexico, Ukraine and many more countries have no regulations on the subject whatsoever. Therefore, it way easier to name locations where production, possession, usage, and trade of Amanita Muscaria and muscimol might not be the greatest idea.

USA

Amanita Muscaria and muscimol are not regulated federally in the US. They are not listed as controlled substances under Controlled Substances Act (CSA). However, as for now there is one American state that prohibits the use of muscimol mushrooms - Louisiana. In 2005 Louisiana State Act 159 outlawed Amanita muscaria and other 39 plants prohibiting their cultivation, possession, trade, or purchase. In Louisiana you can only get it as a decoration for your garden.

Though Amanita Muscaria and muscimol remain legal in the rest 49 US states, the situation can drastically change with the vagaries of the political climate in the country. Some states, especially ones with a sizable conservative population, might want to apply Louisiana’s approach. At the same time this turn of events would be less likely to happen in states that are already started losing restrictions and abolishing the laws regulating “magic mushrooms”.

Australia

In 2015 Australian government listed A.muscaria and muscimol as a drug according to Schedule 9 under the national Poisons Standard. It effectively made it illegal to produce, distribute or possess.

The UK

Since May 26th, 2016, production, supply and import of muscimol has been illegal under the Psychoactive Substance Act.

Romania

Fly Agaric Mushrooms are native to Romania, they grow naturally in the wild and are very easy to forge. There was a time when the mushrooms themselves and Muscimol could have been bought in stores across the country. However, since 2010 muscimol-containing mushrooms have been banned in Romania. Under Romanian law Amanita Musacaria and muscimol are classified as Class I high-risk drugs and therefore are strictly regulated by government. Just possession of a small amount can risk you up to 3 years of imprisonment.

The Netherlands

That might be surprising for many people but not every substance imaginable is legal in the Netherlands. Speaking of mushrooms specifically, magic truffles are still legal, but that’s it. 2008 has become a turning year for all Amanita mushrooms in The Netherlands. According to the new law possession of psilocybin- and muscimol-containing mushrooms became illegal. Caring anything over 0,5 grams dry or 5 grams fresh Amanita muscaria could lead to a criminal charge with possible imprisonment.

Thailand

According to the substances regulation documents in Thailand muscimol is classified as a hallucinogenic drug. This placement into one of the “five categories” of drugs in Thailand effectively makes it usage, storage, trade and transportation of A.muscaria illegal within the country. Thailand, however, is one of the top destinations for tourists and seasonal rellocants, turning some parts of the country into insatiable market for magic mushrooms, including Fly Agaric. Nobody knows whether Thai government would ease the regulations surrounding mushrooms in the country, but even the existence of a public discussion about it indicates a more tolerant attitude towards hallucinogens in general.

Final thoughts

Public interest in natural remedies and alternative medicine has been rapidly increasing in recent years. In this light the growing interest in muscimol-containing mushrooms does not come as a surprise. However, being careful and proactive always pays off, so checking the local laws before making decisions about substance use would never hurt. 

It is fair to say that Amanita muscaria and muscimol remain legal and widely available around the world. For the time being Amanita mushrooms and muscimol products are outlawed in Louisianna, Romania, The Netherlands, Australia, The UK, and Thailand. It is still possible that in future more countries would want to tighten their grip on substance control and ban Fly Agaric and its components. 

One thing we know for sure: Amanita Muscaria and muscimol are legal here. Have more questions? Let APOEMBIOTECH sales agents answer all your questions by email or phone.

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