Psilocybin law in Germany
Medical or authorised prescribing Checked 11 October 2026
In July 2025 BfArM approved a compassionate-use programme for psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression, limited to two clinics, which is not a retreat pathway.
A doctor or psychiatrist may give or prescribe psilocybin to patients under a medical programme or a case-by-case authorisation. It is not open to retreats or adult use. A summary of published sources, not legal advice.
What the sources say
- The Central Institute of Mental Health (Mannheim) announced on 31 July 2025 that BfArM approved a Compassionate Use Programme. Individual adult patients with treatment-resistant depression can be treated with psilocybin at CIMH Mannheim and the OVID Clinic Berlin day clinic, only in justified exceptional cases. [Compassionate Use Program for psilocybin possible for the first time in Germany, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, 2025-07-31, read 11 October 2026] [Compassionate use of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression in Germany, The Lancet Psychiatry 13(2):91-93 (online 18 Sep 2025), 2026-02, read 11 October 2026]
- CIMH states that psilocybin is subject to the Narcotics Act (BtMG) and is illegal outside medical-scientific contexts; treatment is permitted only in officially approved clinical trials or in the compassionate-use programme, which it says has run since 11 July 2025 with significant waiting times. [Psychedelics in psychiatry and psychotherapy: Compassionate Use Program and clinical trials, Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) Mannheim, read 11 October 2026]
Dated changes
- 31 July 2025: The Central Institute of Mental Health (Mannheim) announced that BfArM had approved a compassionate-use programme: individual adults with treatment-resistant depression can be treated with psilocybin at CIMH Mannheim and the OVID Clinic Berlin, only in justified exceptional cases. It is not a retreat pathway. Source
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