Spore Bans Abound

Good morning! Welcome back to The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter delivering independent journalism about psychedelics straight to your inbox.

How about that LSD synthesis workshop yesterday with Willy Myco and Patrick Maravelias?! We are reveling in the afterglow 🫠

Today’s stories hit on two hot topics: psilocybin spore bans and the role of our gut in the psychedelic experience. You can find both of them immediately below! If you keep scrolling, you’ll find pieces on the beloved Alice Coletrane, whether orange juice makes you trip harder, and how psychedelics can help us face our fear of death.

Hug a tree this week 🌳!

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

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Is Florida About to Crackdown on Psilocybin Mushroom Spores?

Florida lawmakers are advancing bills that would make it a crime to distribute spores or mycelium capable of producing psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

Florida lawmakers just took a significant step toward banning psychedelic mushroom spores and mycelium. According to reporting by Marijuana Moment’s Ben Adlin, both House and Senate panels in the Sunshine State have advanced sweeping agricultural legislation — House Bill 651 and Senate Bill 700 — that would make it a crime to sell, transport, or give away spores or mycelium capable of producing psilocybin mushrooms.

The Housing, Agriculture, and Tourism Subcommittee approved HB 651 this week, while SB 700 cleared a Senate appropriations committee last week. The language targeting spores and mycellium that produce psilocybin-containing fruiting bodies remains intact in both versions. Under the proposed law, violators could face a first-degree misdemeanor, which could result in up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

It’s worth noting that mushroom spores themselves don’t contain psilocybin or psilocin, the psychedelic compounds in mushrooms. As a result, they are not currently listed in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Terrence Boos, a top DEA official, confirmed in a memo in January 2024 that psilocybin spores don’t contain any compounds listed in the CSA and, thus, are not regulated. (To many people, “unregulated” suffices as “legal,” but the reality is a bit more nuanced.) 

A cluster of states in the U.S. have long banned spores, including California, Idaho, and Georgia. (After Boos’s announcement last year, we called the Attorney General’s office of California to ask if the DEA’s recent statement would impact the ban on spores in the Golden State. And while we were strong-armed into a conversation on background, we can say with certainty that nothing about California’s spore laws have changed.)

Now, Florida is slated to join the regions that are banning all mushroom spore activities. The Sunshine State’s proposed legislation wouldn’t just close the loophole; it would also fully criminalize spores or mycelium that could produce psilocybin or psilocin at any point in their development. Lawmakers are, therefore, targeting the potential, not just the presence, of these psychoactive compounds. As Marijuana Moment points out, this would cut off access to even the earliest stages of mushroom cultivation, which will likely have ripple effects for researchers, growers, and advocates pushing for psychedelic reform.

Although psilocybin is already banned in Florida — simple possession is a third-degree felony — this new move signals a preemptive crackdown as interest in psychedelics grows nationwide. If passed, this would make Florida one of the strictest states when it comes to regulating psilocybin-containing fungi.

Traversing the Gut-Brain Axis on Psilocybin Mushrooms

A new review suggests your gut microbes might be the key to how intensely you trip—and why every psychedelic journey is so different.

For all the buzz around psilocybin’s power to heal the mind, a new scientific review suggests there’s more to the story than brain chemistry. According to researchers writing in Pharmacological Research, psychedelics might also work their magic through the gut — specifically, the trillions of microbes that make up our microbiome.

The gut-brain axis, a two-way communication system between the gut and the central nervous system, has long been recognized for its role in shaping mood and behavior. This review proposes that serotonergic psychedelics — like psilocybin, DMT, and LSD — not only influence the brain directly through serotonin 2A receptors, but also interact with the gut microbiota in ways that could shape the psychological experience.

The relationship is deeply intertwined: Psychedelics may alter the composition of gut bacteria, and those microbes, in turn, may affect how the body metabolizes the drug. Microbes could also modulate how strongly someone responds to a trip, possibly explaining why psychedelic experiences vary so widely from person to person. Researchers even suggest that microbial differences might one day be used to predict or personalize treatment.

Although direct studies are scarce, parallels with antidepressants (which also act on serotonin and are known to alter gut bacteria) hint at overlapping mechanisms. The review calls for future research into how gut microbes influence the effects of psychedelics — and how psychedelics might shape gut health in return.

If confirmed, these insights could revolutionize psychedelic-assisted therapy, opening the door to tailored treatment based not just on genetics or dosage…but on your gut. Quite literally.

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Hosted at the historic Kaiser Center for the Arts in Oakland, the two-day event on April 19 and 20 will bring together psychedelic scientists, spiritual leaders, artists, and activists for workshops, ceremonies, talks, and celebrations. Expect soul-stirring sermons, mind-expanding panels, and a Cannabis-friendly community honoring the sacred.

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