Magic mushrooms are illegal in France.
However, spores are legal to purchase and own for collection, provided they arenât then cultivated to produce psychedelic mushrooms.
This means that they can be sold and purchased freely in the country.
There are many spore vendors that ship to France, some are as close as the Netherlands, and orders can be processed and delivered in less than three working days. Others are based outside of Europe, and shipping takes far longer, but the variety of genetics is far greater.
Itâs important that you choose a reliable vendor with a good reputation to ensure that the spore samples obtained are legitimate and uncontaminated.
High level: Which Vendors Ship to France? đ«đ·
- Magic Mushroom Shop
- Mushroom Prints
- Tatanka
1. The Magic Mushroom Shop
The Magic Mushroom Shop is based in the Netherlands. They have a retail store in Amsterdam and an online store that ships across Europe.
This vendor has everything needed for mushroom cultivation. Genetic spore samples, growing substrates, and cultivation equipment can be purchased from the website. Their prices are fair, and the shipping is tracked and reliable. Orders are expected to arrive in France in as little as three working days.
The Magic Mushroom Shop also provides a wide range of other products, such as psychoactive cacti, magic truffles, ayahuasca herbs, CBD, and cannabis seeds. However, not all of these items are available for delivery to France. Some items are restricted and are currently only legal in Holland.
You can find more about country restrictions in the additional information on the product pages.
This vendor doesnât have a huge range of genetics available, but the stocks seem to be well controlled. Youâll find around 20 spore samples from The Magic Mushroom Shop, with options for beginner and expert cultivators.
Recommended Strains from The Magic Mushroom Shop
- Best beginner strain: Cambodian
- Super potent strain: Albino A+
- Rare strain: Fiji Cubensis
Visit Magic Mushroom Shop
2. Mushroom Prints
Mushroom Prints are a Canada-based company working out of British Columbia. Although this company isnât based in Europe, they ship worldwide.
Shipping can take between three and eight weeks to reach France. However, the variety of spores offered is far larger than that of Tatanka and The Magic Mushroom shop. If youâre looking for speedy service, Mushroom Prints isnât the best vendor, but if youâre looking for a rare strain, this may be your only option that offers European delivery.
Mushroom Prints sells spore samples only. They donât offer cultivation equipment, growing substrates, or any other products. To make up for this, they have over 50 genetic samples in their store in the form of spore syringes and prints.
The company claims that around 90% of all international orders make it to their destination in the predicted time frame. If the order isnât received the first time, theyâll send out a second free of charge. However, if the second order isnât received again, they wonât send a third free of charge or provide any refunds.
If you decide to order from Mushroom Prints for delivery to France, you do so at your own risk.
Overall, this vendor offers a huge range of Psilocybe cubensis spores that simply arenât available from European spore vendors. Theyâre reliable and provide high-quality spore samples, but you must be patient due to the long shipping times.
Recommended Strains from Mushroom Prints
- Best beginner strain: Koh Samui
- Super potent strain: Tidal Wave
- Rare strain: Jedi Mind Fuck
Visit Mushroom Prints
3. Tatanka
Tatanka is another Netherlands-based spore vendor that ships Europe-wide.
This company offers a wide range of spore samples, cultivation equipment, and substrates. They also offer magic truffles, CBD, cannabis seeds, and more. However, some of these products are restricted in France, and Tatanka clarifies that itâs your responsibility to know your local laws.
Tatanka uses UPS-tracked shipping and discrete unmarked packaging to ship their products. Delivery times are between two and five days within Europe. They only ship to countries inside of the EU, so, unfortunately, you canât receive spores if youâre based in the UK.
This vendor doesnât have a massive range of spores, but the spores they provide are of the highest quality, according to hundreds of customer reviews.
Youâll find around ten spore samples on the website with options ideal for the beginner grower, the experienced cultivator, and the mycologist looking for something a bit out of the ordinary. Here are three of our favorite Tatanka strains:
Recommended Strains from Tatanka
- Best beginner strain: Golden Teacher
- Super potent strain: Mazatapec
- Rare strain: Hawaiian
Visit Tatanka
How to Grow Magic Mushrooms
Growing psilocybin-containing mushrooms is illegal in France. We donât encourage or condone the cultivation of magic mushrooms in countries where itâs an illicit activity. The following section is for informational purposes only.
Magic mushrooms are surprisingly easy to grow. However, the strain you select will determine how easy it is to cultivate. Some strains are contamination-resistant and colonize easily, whereas others require much more attention to achieve successful results.
Learn more: The Ultimate Guide to Magic Mushroom Strains
First, you must obtain your genetics and sow the spores onto a sterile substrate. This can be done using spore prints, but the easiest way is using sterile syringes filled with magic mushroom spores.
The first step is filling a set of sterilized jars with a substrate for mushroom cultivation. The easiest method is âPF Tek.â The substrate usually consists of brown rice flour, vermiculite, and water.
You inject the genetics into the sterile substrate using a spore-filled syringe (available from the vendors above). These spores are left to colonize the substrate resulting in large white âcakesâ of mycelium.
Over the next couple of weeks, the spores will colonize the jars, and the mycelium cakes will be ready for fruiting.
You must create a fruiting chamber to fruit the mycelium and produce the magic mushrooms. A fruiting chamber consists of a substrate layer inside a large sterile container. The cakes are removed from the jars, and the mycelium is introduced to the fruiting chamber.
The chamber must be kept at a stable humidity and temperature. This can be achieved by spraying the environment with mist from a water-filled spray bottle and utilizing a heat mat to control temperature.
Once the mycelium cakes are introduced to the fruiting chamber, youâll start seeing the first mushrooms appear after a few days. The mushrooms will begin to mature over the next week or two. From here, itâs important that you harvest the mushrooms before they drop their spores.
Over the coming weeks, you should see several flushes of healthy mushrooms before the colony succumbs to contamination and gets overrun with mold, ceasing the production of healthy fruiting bodies.
This section should have given you a rough idea of magic mushroom cultivation. However, this is only a small percentage of whatâs actually involved in the process. If youâre interested in learning more about cultivating psychedelic mushrooms, have a read through our cultivation guide here.
Do Magic Mushrooms Grow Naturally in France?
Magic mushrooms do grow naturally in France. There are a few strains of Psilocybe cubensis â and other species of hallucinogenic mushrooms âthat grow naturally in the country.
In the south of France, youâre more likely to find Psilocybe cubensis strains, whereas theyâre less common across the rest of the country.
Psilocybe semilanceata (liberty cap) is the most common psychedelic mushroom to find in France. It can grow in pasture land, wet grasslands, on the sides of shaded hills, and even in certain vineyards.
This isnât the only psychedelic species that are prevalent in France, though. In fact, France has an excellent climate for mushroom growth, and during the autumn months, a few hours of foraging can be extremely prolific.
Learn how to forage wild magic mushrooms.
Here are some of the magic mushrooms youâll find growing in France:
- Amanita muscaria
- Panaeolus cinctulus
- Psilocybe baeocystis
- Psilocybe bohemica
- Psilocybe cubensis
- Psilocybe cyanescens
- Psilocybe semilanceata
- Psilocybe weilii
As you can see, there are several different species of psychedelic mushrooms that grow wild in France. Many grow on the countryâs rich pasture lands, wetlands, and grasslands. Others can be found growing in coniferous or deciduous forests.
The best time of year for mushroom picking in France is throughout the months of September and October.
The History of Psychedelic Use in France
Hallucinogenic substances have been used throughout Europe for centuries. The French have been tripping on native psychedelic mushrooms and drinking wine since medieval times.
Paleobotanical evidence has been discovered in several Neolithic sites in France and Spain. Grass bags filled with balls of opium, as well as several ceramic bowls that were used for smoke inhalation during rituals, have been discovered. Several artifacts depicting magic mushrooms, such as Amanita muscaria (fly agaric), have also been found.
Hallucinogenic fungi and other psychedelic, sedative, and stimulant compounds have been a part of life in France for hundreds of years. Itâs no different now, either.
Several LSD trials took place in France during the 50s when the substance was legal and heavily researched by scientists for its potential in medicine. Thereâs even a crazy story about how the small French village of Pont-Saint-Esprit, Southeast France, ended up with LSD in their food supply.
In 1951 this small French town had a collective bad trip. One day, the villagers awoke, literally tripping out of their minds. People had visions of snakes, dragons, and demons. Many people died, some ended up in psychiatric hospitals, and others were traumatized by the whole experience.
No one knows exactly how such large amounts of LSD entered the food supply of Pont-Saint-Esprit, but people speculate that the CIA contaminated the supply. The accusation was made by Hank Albarelli five decades after the incident. He believed that this was all part of Americaâs research into the substance during the 50s when its military potential was being studied.
Thereâs no solid evidence to prove Hankâs claims, but with Project MK Ultra taking place around the same time, itâs definitely possible that the CIA couldâve been behind this crazy event.
Weâll never know how LSD managed to make its way into the food supply of an entire french village, but it makes a compelling story nonetheless.
Are Magic Mushrooms Legal in France?
No. Magic mushrooms are illegal in France. The possession, sale, and consumption of psilocybin is completely prohibited.
France has some of the strictest drug laws in mainland Europe. Getting caught with a single gram of magic mushrooms for personal use can land you a âŹ3,750 fine and/or up to one year in prison. However, amendments to the law have reduced the penalties for carrying small amounts of magic mushrooms.
Up until September 2020, carrying a small amount of psilocybin-containing mushrooms could land you with a court case leading to potential prison time or a hefty fine. Now, things are much more laid-back, providing the substance is for personal use (more information in the penalties section below).
Are Spores Legal to Buy in France?
Magic mushroom spores are legal in France.
Spores donât contain psilocybin â the controlled substance that makes magic mushrooms illegal in France. Therefore, the sale and possession of magic mushroom spores arenât against the law.
Magic mushroom spores are available to purchase legally from several vendors. However, the cultivation of these spores is restricted as the resulting fruiting bodies will contain psilocybin.
Seen as the cultivation of magic mushroom spores is strictly illegal, you should be careful about purchasing growing equipment and substrates from the same website as the spores. If possible, you should purchase spores at a separate time for your substrate to avoid potential suspicion â especially if youâre ordering from overseas.
Whatâs the Penalty for the Possession of Magic Mushrooms?
The penalty for possessing psilocybin mushrooms, among other substances, is outlined by Articles L1110-1 Ă L6441-1 in French law. The law states that the maximum penalty for possessing psilocybin-containing mushrooms for personal use is up to one year in prison and/or a fine of up to 3,750 euros.
According to reports from fellow mycologists in France, the penalties are rarely this severe unless the person in question is a repeat offender with a vast criminal record.
France has a large drug scene, and the police have better things to do with their time than convict people with a couple of grams of mushrooms on them. In 2020 the French authorities passed a bill to enforce article L3421-1 to reduce the strain low-level drug crimes had on the penal system.
This new law gives police officers the authority to issue on-the-spot fines to those caught with minimal amounts of âsoft substancesâ (including magic mushrooms). A 200 euro fine (reduced to 150 euros if paid within 15 days) may be issued instead of an arrest and prosecution for substance possession.
This amendment to the original law allows police officers to make the decision whether to arrest and detain or let the person off with a fine. This has ultimately reduced the time the French police force spends on petty crimes, allowing them more time to focus on more serious matters.
You can now be issued a small fine for possessing no less than 20 grams of magic mushrooms (yes, almost an ounce), 50 grams of cannabis, five grams of cocaine, or five MDMA pills rather than prosecution in court. Thatâs a pretty laid-back attitude if you ask me.
You wonât get away with a simple fine if youâre caught with more than 20 grams of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. The repercussions could be much worse, especially if thereâs an intent to supply.
Hereâs what to expect if you get caught with mushrooms in France:
Quantity of Mushrooms | Minimum Penalty | Maximum Penalty |
Less than 20 grams | âŹ200 (reduced to âŹ150 if paid within 15 days) | âŹ3,750 and/or up to 1 year in prison |
More than 20 grams | âŹ3,750 and/or 1 year or more in prison | 5 to 10 years in prison and up to âŹ7,500,000 fine |
Final Word: Can You Buy Magic Mushroom Spores in France?
Magic mushrooms are illegal to consume, produce, buy, and sell in France. However, magic mushroom spores are completely legal.
Magic mushroom spores can be purchased directly from spore vendors based in Europe. Usually, the best vendors are based in Holland, where the laws surrounding psychedelic substances are much more liberal. However, although reliable, these types of vendors donât always have as wide a range of spores as companies based in the US and Canada.
Itâs possible to order spores from vendors that are based overseas. Some companies, such as Mushroom Prints (Canada), ship worldwide. Youâll find a much wider range of spores from overseas vendors, but you may have to wait up to two months to receive your package.
Whichever vendor you use, ensure they have a good track record. Take a look at first-hand reviews, ask around on forums such as Shroomery, and browse through our spore vendorsâ guide to ensure you get the most out of your money.