The Connecticut House of Representatives has advanced a bill that would decriminalize possession of small quantities of psychedelic mushrooms. On May 19, representatives voted 74-65 to send House Bill 7065 on to the Senate, where similar proposals have died in previous legislative sessions. If enacted, it would take effect October 1.
“Psilocybin is a product which has been shown to be an effective therapeutic for various mental illnesses, including treating PTSD, addictions, depressions and anxiety disorders,” stated Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D) on the House floor, according to Marijuana Moment. “It is a substance that our state currently treats as the equivalent of cocaine, heroin or any other sort of serious Schedule I drug.” (Cocaine is in fact under Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act.)
The bill would remove criminal penalties for possession of up to 0.5 ounces of psilocybin, downgrading it from a Class A misdemeanor to a civil infraction, punishable with a fine of $150 for first-time charges and a maximum fine of $500 for subsequent charges.
Under current state law, the maximum penalties for first-time charges are 364 days’ jail time and a $2,000 fine; subsequent charges can be prosecuted as a Class E felony and punished with up to three years in prison. Under the proposed changes, those penalties would still apply to possession of psilocybin over 0.5 ounces.
Misdemeanor “paraphernalia” charges would be similarly decriminalized, if associated with psilocybin possession of under 0.5 ounces. The bill would also prevent minors found in possession of that same amount from being “adjudicated delinquent”—found guilty in juvenile court—on first- or second-time charges.
A similar bill in New Hampshire advanced after lawmakers agreed on harsher fentanyl penalties as a “good trade.”
Though only three states have so far decriminalized so-called “magic mushrooms,” Connecticut is one of several in the Northeast that appear to be getting closer. A psilocybin decrim bill in New Hampshire has now cleared both the House and Senate, after lawmakers accepted an amendment increasing mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl-related convictions as a “good trade.”
A similar bill in Massachusetts is being reviewed by the Senate Joint Committee on Revenue. In April, a proposal in Maine received a divided report from the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. Proposals in other nearby states like Vermont and Rhode Island stalled earlier in the 2025 legislative session.
Oregon became the first state to decriminalize psilocybin in 2020, followed by Colorado in 2022. Both states have opened psilocybin service centers, where adults over 21 can legally purchase and consume the psychedelic on-site under supervision. A single session can cost thousands of dollars, and the licensing fees have been prohibitive for some providers as well.
New Mexico decriminalized psilocybin in April, when Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed the Medical Psilocybin Act. It authorizes therapeutic use for end-of-life care, and treatment of certain qualifying conditions including substance use disorder.
On May 19, Iowa legislators enrolled a bill that would authorize prescription psilocybin upon approval from the Food and Drug Administration; HF 383 is currently waiting for the governor’s signature.
Nevada approved a psychedelic therapy pilot for veterans and first responders in April. Earlier in May, Texas approved a bill supporting clinical research involving ibogaine.
Image (cropped) via State of Connecticut
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