Pierce County and Nevada City make psilocybin a low police priority

Two more local governments on the West Coast have voted to make psychedelics a low enforcement priority. On September 1, 2026, Pierce County, Washington unanimously adopted Resolution R2026-177. Six days earlier, on August 26, 2026, the Nevada City Council in California unanimously passed Resolution 2026-29, which covers adults 21 and older. Both measures are resolutions, not changes to state law, so psilocybin stays illegal in both places.

What Pierce County passed

Pierce County is now the newest of seven Washington cities and counties that deprioritize psilocybin enforcement. Even so, the county's undersheriff said enforcement continues, a reminder that a resolution is a statement of priorities, not a change in the law.

Washington's list now reads:

• Seattle (October 2021, Resolution 32021)
• Port Townsend (December 20, 2021)
• Jefferson County (May 2023, the first Washington county)
• Olympia (August 2024)
• Tacoma (January 28, 2025, Resolution 41609, unanimous)
• King County (March 24, 2026, unincorporated areas only)
• Pierce County (September 1, 2026, Resolution R2026-177, unanimous)

King County's measure shows how narrow these can be. It applies only to unincorporated areas, two council members voted no, and one council member called it "not a decriminalization motion." Under state law, possessing psilocybin in Washington is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. For what that means in practice in Seattle, see our Seattle guide.

At the state level, Washington hasn't legalized or decriminalized psilocybin. A 2023 law, SB 5263, kept a state psilocybin task force and a University of Washington clinical pilot for veterans and first responders. Other than that law, Washington's psilocybin policy changes have come through local resolutions like Pierce County's.

What Nevada City passed

Nevada City's Resolution 2026-29 asks local law enforcement to treat psychedelic mushrooms as a low priority for adults 21 and older. It makes Nevada City the seventh California city with a measure like this, after Oakland (2019), Santa Cruz (2020), Arcata (2021), San Francisco (2022), Berkeley (2023) and Eureka (2023).

Los Angeles and San Diego aren't on that list: we found no deprioritization measure for either city in any source we reviewed. Statewide, psilocybin remains illegal: Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a decriminalization bill, SB 58, on October 7, 2023. Since then the state has acted only on research, such as AB 1103, signed October 10, 2025, which fast-tracks Research Advisory Panel review of psychedelic studies.

What "deprioritize" does and doesn't mean

These resolutions tell police and, in some cases, prosecutors that personal psychedelic use should be near the bottom of their list. They don't legalize anything. Possession is still a crime under state law in Washington and California, selling psilocybin is still illegal, and psilocybin remains a Schedule I drug under federal law. A resolution also doesn't stop state or federal agencies from enforcing their own laws.

If you live in Pierce County or Nevada City, the practical takeaway is simple: police may treat personal use as a low priority, but you can still be stopped, arrested and charged under state law. In Pierce County, the undersheriff has already said enforcement continues.

With these two, we count 34 cities, counties and other jurisdictions nationwide (including Washington, D.C.) with some kind of deprioritization measure, and that list may not be complete. Portland, Oregon joined on September 30, 2026 with a city ordinance. See the full, dated list on our page about cities that decriminalized psilocybin.