Forbidden Fungus: Even This Mushroom’s Spores Are Illegal in Idaho

Idaho is home to some of the greatest wilderness in the entire world--and that isn't an exaggeration. People from all over the world fly into Idaho for world-class fishing, hiking, hunting, rafting...we could go on and on.

What grows among the trees in these remote, wilderness locations? All sorts of plants, animals, and yes-- fungus (which is neither plant nor animal) that you normally wouldn't see wandering around the streets of downtown Boise.

Perhaps the most interesting of all of these things? Fungus.

Not long ago, we warned you of the dangers of many mushrooms that can be found around Idaho:

Have you ever experienced any of these fungi? 

While some are deadly--others are just "magical" and the powers that be in Idaho are no fans of these things.

Psychedelic mushrooms, often referred to as "magic", grow in the Pacific Northwest, naturally, more than they do in most other parts of the nation. The climate is just right for these harmless mushrooms to thrive. Consuming them, however, is totally illegal. So is possessing them. Oh, and so is possessing the tiny, microscopic spores that produce them.

Say what?

Banned federally in the United States, mushrooms with the compound psilocybin are a "Schedule 1 Drug" that according to the United States government have high potential of abuse and no recognized, medical effects or promise.

Meanwhile, some of the country's most prestigious research centers, like Johns Hopkins, ave found extremely promising results for therapeutic uses of psilocybin-- one of the most significant studies involved some amazing results for folks who were trying to quick tobacco use. Others include major steps in PTSD recovery for veterans.

Despite the fact that the conversation around therapeutic promise of psilocybin continues to advance--Idaho remains stern on not only banning the mushrooms but the literal spores that grow them. Fun fact: the spores that grow these things (and that you can hardly see with a naked eye) don't even contain the illegal substance--psilocybin! Georgia and Idaho, however, keep them banned.

Happy hiking, Idaho--and what ever you do just remember--don't touch those fungi!