Last updated October 9, 2026 · By Henry Winslow, President of Althea
Psilocybin, the compound in mushrooms sometimes known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, does not show up on standard drug tests, including DOT and federal workplace panels. A lab can detect it only with a specialized test, and in urine it is usually detectable for about a day. The main exception is the U.S. military, which began testing service members for psilocybin in October 2025.
Whether that matters for you depends on which test you’re given and what your employer’s policy says. Below is how each type of test works, how long psilocybin stays detectable, and what a legal session in Oregon or Colorado does and doesn’t change.
Psilocybin and drug tests at a glance
None of the standard tests includes psilocybin. A specialized test can find it, but only for a short time after a session.
| Test type | On standard panels? | Specialized test available? | How long it’s detectable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urine | No. Not on DOT, federal workplace, or typical employer panels | Yes, at forensic and reference labs | About 24 hours; possibly somewhat longer if the lab also measures psilocin glucuronide |
| Blood | No | Yes, mostly in forensic or clinical cases | Hours; psilocin’s half-life is about 3 hours |
| Saliva (oral fluid) | No. Not on DOT or federal oral fluid panels | Not routinely offered | Not well studied |
| Hair | No | Only in specialized forensic labs | Not established; research is limited |
Windows vary with dose, body chemistry, and how sensitive the lab’s method is. Sources for each row are in the sections below.
Do mushrooms show up in a urine test?
Not on a standard urine test. The common 5-panel, 10-panel, and federal workplace urine tests screen for drug classes like marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, and PCP. Psilocybin isn’t among them (Federal Register, 2025; HireRight).
A lab can test urine for psilocybin if someone specifically orders it. Here’s what that test would look for:
- Psilocin, not psilocybin. Your body converts psilocybin into psilocin almost immediately. In one pharmacology study, no psilocybin turned up in participants’ plasma or urine at all. Only psilocin did (Brown et al., 2017).
- A short window. In a controlled study, psilocin in urine peaked two to four hours after a dose and usually fell below the lab’s measurable level by about 24 hours (Hasler et al., 2002).
- Possibly a little longer with extra processing. Much of the psilocin leaves the body attached to glucuronide. Labs that break that bond before testing can detect psilocin for somewhat longer, though the same study didn’t measure exactly how much longer.
Do mushrooms show up on a hair test?
Not on a standard hair test. Forensic labs have developed methods that can find psilocin in hair, and researchers have detected it in samples from known users (Martin et al., 2015; Forensic Toxicology, 2020). But the amounts found were tiny, the research is limited, and there’s no established detection window. The “90 days” often quoted for hair tests applies to other drugs, not psilocybin.
Blood and saliva tests
Blood. Psilocin clears the bloodstream quickly. Its half-life is about three hours, so it is detectable in blood for hours, not days (Brown et al., 2017). Blood tests are mostly used in hospitals and forensic cases, not workplace screening.
Saliva (oral fluid). Neither the DOT nor the federal workplace oral fluid panel includes psilocybin (Federal Register, 2025), and how long psilocin stays detectable in saliva hasn’t been well studied.
Does the DOT drug test for mushrooms?
No. Federal rules require labs to test DOT specimens for five drug classes (marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, and PCP) and prohibit testing DOT specimens for any other drug (49 CFR 40.85). That applies to truck drivers, pilots, transit and rail workers, and everyone else under DOT testing rules, whether the sample is urine or oral fluid.
Does the military drug test for mushrooms?
Yes. Since October 1, 2025, the Department of Defense has included psilocin in its drug testing program for service members, citing risks to safety, readiness, and discipline (Tricycle Day; Military Times). Commanders can order a psilocin test for probable cause, with consent, or by direct order, and specimens collected under the military’s regular testing program can also be tested for it (Military.com).
Legal sessions in Oregon or Colorado are no exception. Service members fall under federal rules and the military’s zero-tolerance drug policy, even as the Department of Defense funds clinical research on psychedelic therapy for service members (Tricycle Day).
Workplace and other drug tests
The federal workplace panel for agency employees added fentanyl in 2025 but still doesn’t include psilocybin (Federal Register, 2025).
Private employers that aren’t federally regulated can choose what to test for, and psilocybin testing is possible but more complex and expensive than a standard panel (HireRight). If you’re unsure what your employer tests for, your written drug policy or HR team can tell you.
Does a legal session in Oregon or Colorado change anything?
A legal session protects you under state law, but it doesn’t change your employer’s drug policy.
- Colorado’s law says it doesn’t require employers to permit or accommodate natural medicine in the workplace, and it doesn’t affect their ability to restrict employees’ use or impairment (C.R.S. 44-50-104).
- Oregon’s law says it doesn’t change state or federal law on employment matters (Oregon Laws 2021, ch. 1).
- Federal law still lists psilocybin as Schedule I, so neither state’s program changes federal rules, including drug-free workplace requirements for federal employees (where psilocybin is legal).
In practice, psilocybin isn’t on the tests most employers use, but a workplace policy can prohibit use whether or not a test would detect it. If you’re in a safety-sensitive or federally regulated job, read your employer’s policy before you book.
When you’re ready, you can browse legal psilocybin experiences or talk with a care navigator for free about whether a session fits your situation.
Frequently asked questions
No. Standard 5-, 10-, and 12-panel tests don’t include psilocybin or psilocin. A lab has to run a separate, specialized test.
Psilocin, the form your body turns psilocybin into, has a half-life of about three hours. It is usually below measurable levels in urine within about 24 hours and clears from blood within hours.
Not on a standard test. The regulated products used in legal sessions contain psilocybin, so a specialized test could detect it. A legal session also doesn’t override your employer’s drug policy.
That depends on your employer’s policy and your role. If you work in a safety-sensitive or federally regulated job, check your policy first.
Sources
Testing rules
- 49 CFR 40.85: What drugs do laboratories test for? (DOT): five drug classes, no other drugs in DOT specimens
- Federal Register: Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, Authorized Testing Panels (Jan 16, 2025): federal urine and oral fluid panels
- HireRight: The impacts of hallucinogenic psilocybin on the workplace: standard employment tests don’t include psilocybin
- Tricycle Day: This Week in Psychedelics (Sep 3, 2025): Pentagon adds psilocin to military drug tests
- Military Times: Troops will be drug tested for psychedelic mushroom use, Pentagon says (Sep 5, 2025)
- Military.com: Pentagon to begin screening for “magic mushroom” use (Sep 2, 2025)
Research
- Hasler F, Bourquin D, Brenneisen R, Vollenweider FX. Renal excretion profiles of psilocin following oral administration of psilocybin: a controlled study in man. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2002;30(2):331–339. (abstract)
- Brown RT, et al. Pharmacokinetics of escalating doses of oral psilocybin in healthy adults. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2017;56:1543–1554. (full text)
- Martin R, et al. Analysis of psilocin, bufotenine and LSD in hair. J Anal Toxicol. 2015;39:126–129. (full text)
- Sensitive quantitative analysis of psilocin and psilocybin in hair samples from suspected users. Forensic Toxicology, 2020. (article)
State law
- C.R.S. 44-50-104 (Colorado): employer policies
- Oregon Laws 2021, chapter 1 (Measure 109): employment matters unaffected
