Quick answer: Yes. Washington lists psilocybin and psilocyn in Schedule I of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (RCW 69.50.204), and the words “spore,” “mycelium” and “mushroom” appear nowhere in that schedule, in the definitions, or in the paraphernalia sections. Mushroom spores are legal to buy, own and ship in Washington for microscopy, taxonomy and educational use.
What is not legal: germinating them. Washington defines “manufacture” to include propagation, so growing is a Class C felony. Possession of the mushrooms themselves became a gross misdemeanor after the state Supreme Court struck down the old possession law in 2021, and six cities and counties, Seattle among them, have passed “lowest priority” resolutions. None of that touches spores, which were never illegal.
Looking for mushroom spores in Washington?
We ship Psilocybe cubensis spore syringes to Washington the same business day. Each syringe is a 10 cc syringe. Orders over $100 ship free, and our spore syringe packs save you up to 40%.
Intended use and disclaimer. We sell Psilocybe cubensis spore syringes for microscopy, taxonomy and educational use only, and we ship to Washington. This page is general information, not legal advice; only a lawyer licensed in Washington can tell you how the law applies to you.
In this guide
- What Washington law says (and doesn’t say)
- Why spores are legal when the mushrooms are not
- Blake and the 2023 possession law
- Penalties for the mushrooms themselves
- Washington’s paraphernalia law
- Seattle, Tacoma, King County and the other local resolutions
- The bills in Olympia and the ballot
- Buying spores in Washington
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What Washington law says (and doesn’t say)
Washington’s drug law is the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, chapter 69.50 of the Revised Code. Section 69.50.204 is Schedule I, and subsection (c), the hallucinogens, controls “any material, compound, mixture, or preparation which contains any quantity of” the substances listed, among them “(28) Psilocybin” and “(29) Psilocyn.”
Spores are not mentioned in section 69.50.204, in the definitions in section 69.50.101, in the paraphernalia definition in 69.50.102, or in the paraphernalia offenses in 69.50.412 and 69.50.4121. Washington has never written spores, mycelium or mushrooms into its drug statutes.
The same section shows the difference. When the legislature wanted to control a whole organism, it said so: peyote, at item (25), is controlled “whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, any extract from any part,” and cannabis is defined as “all parts of the plant… whether growing or not.” Psilocybin and psilocyn are listed as chemicals only, and the statute does not mention spores anywhere.
Why spores are legal when the mushrooms are not
A spore contains no psilocybin and no psilocyn. Schedule I reaches material that “contains any quantity” of a listed substance; a spore contains none, so it is not a Schedule I material. The federal government reached the same conclusion: on January 2, 2024, the DEA’s Drug & Chemical Evaluation Section confirmed in writing that mushroom spores that do not contain psilocybin or psilocin are not controlled, and that the material becomes controlled once it contains psilocybin or psilocin, for example after germination. Our 50-state guide covers the federal position in detail.
Washington draws the same line through its definitions. RCW 69.50.101 defines “manufacture” as “the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of a controlled substance,” and “production” as “the manufacturing, planting, cultivating, growing, or harvesting of a controlled substance.” Germinating a spore is propagation; the spore in the syringe is not. A 1984 Court of Appeals decision, State v. Patterson, confirmed that raw mushrooms are a “material” containing psilocybin and so are themselves the controlled substance; the opinion involved a large grow and never mentions spores.
Blake and the 2023 possession law
Washington’s possession law changed twice in three years, and older web pages still describe the wrong version. On February 25, 2021, in State v. Blake, the state Supreme Court struck down Washington’s simple-possession statute because it punished possession without requiring the person to know they had the drug, which the court held “violates the due process clauses of the state and federal constitutions.” For a few months there was no possession crime at all. The legislature responded first with ESB 5476 (2021), which made knowing possession a misdemeanor with referral to services and was set to expire in 2023, and then with the “Blake fix,” 2E2SSB 5536, signed May 16, 2023. Its drug possession and use provisions took effect July 1, 2023, and most of the rest took effect August 15, 2023. That is the law today.
Penalties for the mushrooms themselves
Washington has no weight tiers for psilocybin; the offense is the same at any quantity.
- Knowing possession (RCW 69.50.4013): a gross misdemeanor, up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, rising to up to 364 days for a person with two or more prior convictions after July 1, 2023. The statute says prosecutors are “encouraged to divert such cases for assessment, treatment, or other services,” and a separate section (69.50.4017) requires a court to grant pretrial diversion to a qualifying defendant, with dismissal on completion. Knowing use of a controlled substance in a public place is a separate gross misdemeanor.
- Manufacture, delivery or possession with intent (RCW 69.50.401(2)(c)): for a Schedule I substance that is not a narcotic, a Class C felony, up to five years and a $10,000 fine. Under the sentencing guidelines a first offender’s standard range is roughly 12 to 20 months. Because “manufacture” includes propagation, growing is charged here, not as possession.
- Selling for profit (RCW 69.50.410): a Class C felony with a mandatory five-year sentence for a second offense and fines of up to $500,000 per count.
Washington’s paraphernalia law
Washington’s paraphernalia provisions turn on intended use and on what a seller says.
- The definition (RCW 69.50.102(a)) covers equipment “used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting… a controlled substance.” Its kit example refers to “any species of plant,” and fungi are not plants, but the general definition is not so limited. Subsection (b) lists fourteen factors, including “statements by an owner or by anyone in control of the object,” “instructions, oral or written, provided with the object concerning its use,” “national and local advertising concerning its use,” whether the seller “is a legitimate supplier of like or related items to the community,” and “the existence and scope of legitimate uses for the object in the community.”
- Use (RCW 69.50.412(1)) to “plant, propagate, cultivate, grow, harvest, manufacture” a controlled substance is a misdemeanor (up to 90 days and $1,000). Since 2021, using paraphernalia to ingest a drug is no longer an offense; only the cultivation and manufacturing uses remain.
- Delivery (69.50.412(2)) under circumstances where one “reasonably should know” of a cultivation use is a misdemeanor; delivery by an adult to a minor at least three years younger is a gross misdemeanor; advertising paraphernalia is a misdemeanor.
- Selling (RCW 69.50.4121) any drug paraphernalia is a Class I civil infraction with a maximum penalty of $250.
- No research or education exemption; the only exemptions are for syringes and public-health supplies. Since 2023 the state “fully occupies and preempts the entire field of drug paraphernalia regulation” (RCW 69.50.612), so cities cannot add rules of their own.
A syringe of spores sold for microscopy, with no cultivation instructions and no cultivation supplies, is not paraphernalia under these factors; a spore syringe sold with a grow kit and a description of how to use it would be. This is why we sell spores for microscopy only, do not provide cultivation instructions, and cancel orders from customers who tell us they intend to cultivate.
Seattle, Tacoma, King County and the other local resolutions
Washington has one of the longest lists of local psilocybin measures in the country. Every one of them is a non-binding statement of enforcement priority; none is an ordinance, and none changes state law, which preempts local drug penalties (RCW 69.50.611).
- Seattle adopted Resolution 32021 on October 4, 2021, making entheogen-related activity among “the City of Seattle’s lowest law enforcement priorities.”
- Port Townsend passed Resolution 21-088 on December 20, 2021. Jefferson County commissioners followed on May 1, 2023, while conceding the county “has no power to decriminalize.” Olympia adopted Resolution M-2549 on August 13, 2024.
- Tacoma adopted Resolution 41609 on January 28, 2025, expressly excluding “commercial manufacturing or sales.”
- King County passed Motion 2026-0017 on March 24, 2026, by a 6–2 vote, covering adults 21 and older; the county said it required no change to current practice.
Organizers have also worked in Spokane, Bellingham and San Juan County without an adopted measure. None of these resolutions mentions spores.
The bills in Olympia and the ballot
Washington has considered a psilocybin-services program every year since 2023 and has enacted only a study.
- 2SSB 5263 (2023, Senator Salomon) was signed with a partial veto on May 9, 2023. The governor vetoed the sections creating an advisory board and interagency work group, saying the bill “does not establish a system for psilocybin services.” What survived was a task force that reported in December 2023 and a University of Washington pilot study of psilocybin for first responders and veterans, which has finished recruiting.
- SB 5201 / HB 1433 (2025–26, Salomon / Macri) would create a licensed psilocybin-services system for adults 21 and older. Both were reintroduced on January 12, 2026 and stayed in committee. SB 5921 (2026), a medical program for adults 18 and older with qualifying conditions, was referred to Ways & Means on February 4, 2026 and went no further.
- The ballot: Washington allows citizen initiatives. Initiative 2076, the “Natural Psychedelics” act, was filed on June 6, 2024 and did not gather enough signatures for that year’s ballot; its sponsors have since turned to the legislature. Nothing on psychedelics is on the 2026 ballot.
None of these measures mentions spores, and none would change the status of spores, which are already legal.
Buying spores in Washington
- It is legal to buy and own Psilocybe cubensis spores in Washington for microscopy, taxonomy and educational use.
- Ordering online is legal. Federal mail rules bar controlled substances and paraphernalia; spores are neither. We ship to Washington.
- Use spores for study only. Washington’s manufacturing definition turns on propagation, and its paraphernalia law turns on what an item is intended and sold for. Spores for microscopy are a legal hobby; anything that points toward cultivation is where the law starts. A city’s “lowest priority” resolution does not change that.
For neighboring states, see our guides to Oregon and Alaska.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to buy mushroom spores in Washington?
Yes. The Uniform Controlled Substances Act schedules psilocybin and psilocyn and says nothing about spores, which contain neither.
Is it legal to order mushroom spores online in Washington?
Yes. There is no Washington or federal law against mailing spores; the mail rules cover controlled substances and paraphernalia, and spores are neither.
Are Psilocybe cubensis spores legal in Washington?
Yes. The species does not change the analysis; no Psilocybe spore contains a Schedule I substance.
Are psilocybin mushrooms legal in Washington?
No. Knowing possession is a gross misdemeanor, and growing them is manufacturing, a Class C felony.
Are mushroom grow kits legal in Washington?
A kit for culinary species is legal. Equipment intended for cultivating a controlled substance is paraphernalia; using it is a misdemeanor and selling it is a civil infraction. We do not sell cultivation kits or supplies.
Has Seattle decriminalized psilocybin?
Seattle passed a non-binding “lowest priority” resolution in October 2021. State law, which preempts local penalties, is unchanged.
Did Washington legalize psilocybin therapy?
No. The 2023 law funded a study and a task force; the service-program bills of 2024, 2025 and 2026 all died in committee.
Do you ship spore syringes to Washington?
Yes, to every Washington address. The only states we exclude are California, Florida, Georgia and Idaho.
Sources
- RCW 69.50.204 — Schedule I (psilocybin and psilocyn at (c)(28)–(29)), RCW 69.50.101 — definitions, RCW 69.50.4013 — possession, RCW 69.50.401 — manufacture and delivery, RCW 69.50.410 — selling for profit
- RCW 69.50.102 — paraphernalia definition, RCW 69.50.412 — paraphernalia offenses, RCW 69.50.4121 — selling paraphernalia, RCW 69.50.612 — state preemption
- State v. Blake, 197 Wn.2d 170 (2021) (PDF) and State v. Patterson, 37 Wn. App. 275 (1984); 2E2SSB 5536 (2023) bill history
- 2SSB 5263 (2023) and the governor’s veto message (PDF); SB 5201 (2025–26); SB 5921 (2026); Initiative 2076 text (PDF)
- Seattle Resolution 32021, Olympia Resolution M-2549, Tacoma Resolution 41609, King County Motion 2026-0017 (March 24, 2026), Peninsula Daily News on Port Townsend (December 24, 2021)
- DEA letter on the federal status of spores (January 2, 2024, PDF)
Spore syringes shipped to Washington
Our Psilocybe cubensis spore syringes are 10 cc syringes filled in our ISO-7 cleanroom. Orders placed by 1 p.m. Eastern on a weekday ship the same day. You get free shipping on orders over $100, up to 40% off with our 3-, 5- and 10-packs, and a 30-day warranty. They are sold for microscopy and taxonomy use only.
