4-AcO-DMT (psilacetin) is a psilocybin prodrug not explicitly scheduled — but the Federal Analogue Act treats it as Schedule I when intended for human use.
4-AcO-DMT is a synthetic tryptamine. The full chemical name is 4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Common nicknames include psilacetin and O-acetylpsilocin.
The compound was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann and Franz Troxler at Sandoz in 1963. It is a prodrug, meaning the body converts it into another active compound. In this case, the body removes the acetyl group and produces psilocin.
Psilocin is the same molecule that produces the trip when you eat psilocybin mushrooms. Mushroom psilocybin is also a prodrug — the body removes a phosphate group from psilocybin and turns it into psilocin. Both pathways end at the same active compound.
Two main reasons people search out 4-AcO-DMT:
Despite the shared name, 4-AcO-DMT is not the same substance as N,N-DMT — see our full DMT guide for how that related tryptamine differs in effects, duration, and legal classification. DMT is also the active compound in ayahuasca.
Short answer: functionally no. Is 4-AcO-DMT legal anywhere in the US? Not explicitly by name — 4-AcO-DMT is not on the DEA's federal Schedule I list. But 4 AcO DMT legal status in practice is governed by the Federal Analogue Act, which treats it as Schedule I whenever it is sold or possessed for human consumption, plus several state laws that schedule it directly. For where 4-AcO-DMT and other tryptamines stand in your specific state, see the psychedelic legal status by US state tool.
The DEA has not formally scheduled 4-AcO-DMT. There is no specific entry for it in 21 CFR §1308. So under a literal reading of the Controlled Substances Act, the compound is "unscheduled."
However, the Federal Analogue Act treats any drug "substantially similar" to a Schedule I or II controlled substance as Schedule I when intended for human consumption. The DOJ has argued that 4-AcO-DMT is an analogue of psilocin, which is itself Schedule I. Federal prosecutions under this theory have occurred.
State laws vary. Three states explicitly schedule 4-AcO-DMT:
Other states (including New York and California) treat 4-AcO-DMT as an analogue under their own analogue acts. Texas, Michigan, and Maryland have all prosecuted 4-AcO-DMT cases under state analogue statutes. If your state is not listed here, check its specific analogue-act and scheduling language in the state-by-state legal status tool before assuming 4-AcO-DMT is unregulated.
Treat 4-AcO-DMT as carrying real legal risk. The "not for human consumption" label on research-chemical vendor sites is not a magic shield. If federal or state prosecutors find evidence of intended human use — packaging, dosing scales, online order history — the analogue acts apply.
The Federal Analogue Act is part of the Controlled Substances Act, codified at 21 U.S.C. § 813. Congress added it in 1986 to address designer drugs that mimicked Schedule I compounds but were not explicitly scheduled.
The Act treats any chemical that meets all three of these tests as if it were Schedule I:
4-AcO-DMT fits all three when sold for use. Its structure is one acetyl group different from psilocin. Its effect is psilocin once metabolized. And vendors usually describe it as a psychedelic.
| Parameter | 4-AcO-DMT (oral) |
|---|---|
| Threshold dose | ~5 mg |
| Common dose | 15–25 mg |
| Strong dose | 25–40 mg |
| Onset | 20–40 minutes |
| Peak | 1–3 hours |
| Total duration | 4–6 hours |
| Mechanism | 5-HT2A partial agonist (after conversion to psilocin) |
These figures are based on user reports and pharmacology reviews, not clinical trial data. Individual response varies. The effect profile resembles a classical psilocybin trip.
| Factor | 4-AcO-DMT | Psilocybin (mushrooms) |
|---|---|---|
| Active metabolite | Psilocin (after deacetylation) | Psilocin (after dephosphorylation) |
| Federal legal status | Unscheduled by name; Federal Analogue Act applies | Schedule I |
| Dose precision | High (synthetic powder) | Low (mushroom potency varies) |
| Onset | 20–40 min | 30–60 min |
| Duration | 4–6 hours | 4–6 hours |
| Nausea / body load | Reportedly less | Common in first hour |
| FDA trials | None active | Multiple Phase 3 (Compass, Usona, Filament) |
| Supply chain | Research chemical vendors (gray market) | Mushrooms (illegal) or licensed OR/CO/NM |
Once 4-AcO-DMT converts to psilocin, the safety profile is basically the same as psilocybin. The bigger 4-AcO-DMT-specific risks are around purity, dosing accuracy, and legal exposure.
4-AcO-DMT sold by research-chemical vendors is not third-party tested in any standardized way. Past gray-market 4-AcO-DMT batches have included misidentified analogues (4-HO-MET, 5-MeO-MiPT) and contamination. This is one reason synthetic psilocybin (Compass COMP360, Usona) carries lower clinical risk than gray-market 4-AcO-DMT.
Federal felony exposure under the Analogue Act is real. State analogue acts add additional charges in some jurisdictions. Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana name 4-AcO-DMT specifically.
4-AcO-DMT is a synthetic psilocin prodrug with effects similar to psilocybin mushrooms. The legal landscape is messier than the pharmacology — it is not federally scheduled by name, but the Federal Analogue Act treats it as Schedule I when intended for use.
If you are looking for legal psilocybin access in 2026, the practical options are Oregon's Measure 109 service centers, Colorado's Prop 122 healing centers, and (as of April 2025) New Mexico's medical psilocybin program. None of these use 4-AcO-DMT — they use psilocybin extracted from Psilocybe cubensis or synthesized for clinical use.
No, in practice. 4-AcO-DMT (4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also called psilacetin) is not explicitly listed on the federal Schedule I list. However, the Federal Analogue Act (21 U.S.C. § 813) treats substances 'substantially similar' to Schedule I drugs as Schedule I when intended for human consumption. DOJ has prosecuted 4-AcO-DMT cases as a psilocin analogue. Several states (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana) explicitly schedule it.
4-AcO-DMT and psilocybin are both prodrugs of psilocin, which is the molecule that crosses the blood-brain barrier and produces psychedelic effects. The body removes a phosphate group from psilocybin to make psilocin; it removes an acetate group from 4-AcO-DMT to make the same psilocin. Subjective effects are very similar to a mushroom trip, though many users report a faster onset with 4-AcO-DMT.
No. 4-AcO-DMT is not the same substance as N,N-DMT, despite sharing part of the name. Both are tryptamines built on the same indole backbone, but 4-AcO-DMT carries an acetoxy group at the 4-position — the same position where psilocybin carries a phosphoryloxy group and psilocin carries a hydroxyl group. That substitution makes 4-AcO-DMT a prodrug of psilocin, converting to the same active compound as magic mushrooms once metabolized — not to DMT. Regular N,N-DMT has no 4-position substitution and produces a pharmacologically distinct, shorter and more visual experience. The two substances are also treated separately under law: DMT is explicitly Schedule I, while 4-AcO-DMT reaches Schedule I only through the Federal Analogue Act theory described below.
The Federal Analogue Act (21 U.S.C. § 813) treats any substance 'substantially similar' in chemical structure or pharmacological effect to a Schedule I or II controlled substance as Schedule I — but only when intended for human consumption. DOJ has argued that 4-AcO-DMT is substantially similar to psilocin (which is Schedule I). Federal prosecutions under this theory have occurred. The 'not for human consumption' label on research-chemical vendor sites does not provide legal protection when there is evidence of intended use.
At least three states have explicitly scheduled 4-AcO-DMT or named it in tryptamine bans: Florida (scheduled under Fla. Stat. §893.03), Georgia (under O.C.G.A. §16-13-25), and Louisiana (under La. R.S. §40:964). Other states (New York, California) treat it as an analogue under state analogue acts. Treat 4-AcO-DMT as carrying meaningful federal and state criminal risk regardless of explicit scheduling.
No active FDA-registered trials use 4-AcO-DMT as the study drug. Mainstream psilocybin drug development uses synthetic psilocybin (Compass Pathways COMP360, Usona, and Filament Health botanical psilocybin). 4-AcO-DMT exists primarily in the research-chemical and gray market, with no significant clinical research program.
Not meaningfully. Because 4-AcO-DMT converts to psilocin in the body, the safety profile is similar to psilocybin mushrooms once converted. Synthetic 4-AcO-DMT does allow precise dosing, while mushroom potency varies. The bigger safety concern is purity — vendor product is not third-party tested for misidentification or contamination, and law enforcement risk is real.
Not on a standard test. 4-AcO-DMT is not included in the standard 5-panel or 10-panel urine drug screens most employers use, which target THC, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and PCP. Because 4-AcO-DMT converts to psilocin in the body — the same active metabolite produced by psilocybin mushrooms — detecting it requires a specialized LC-MS/MS test ordered specifically to look for psilocin or its metabolites, something workplace and probation testing programs rarely order. A positive result on such a specialized test would not change 4-AcO-DMT's legal status described above — Federal Analogue Act exposure applies regardless of whether use is detected.
No. 'Molly' is a common street name for MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a completely different drug class: a synthetic entactogen and amphetamine derivative. DMT and 4-AcO-DMT are both tryptamines instead. The names get confused because both are popular club- and festival-adjacent substances, but they have unrelated chemistry, unrelated legal scheduling analysis, and very different subjective effects.
4-MeO-DMT (4-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a distinct, much less-studied tryptamine and is not the same substance as 4-AcO-DMT (4-acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine). The two compounds are chemically related, but they differ by their substituent at the same ring position (methoxy versus acetoxy) and are not identical or interchangeable. 4-MeO-DMT is not explicitly listed on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Schedule I list. Its legal status is not settled, and possession carries federal legal risk under the same Federal Analogue Act (FAA) theory the DEA applies to 4-AcO-DMT.
No, 4-AcO-DMT is not legal in Texas. Texas does not schedule 4-AcO-DMT by name, but being unlisted is not the same as being legal. Texas has prosecuted 4-AcO-DMT cases under its state analogue statute, arguing that because 4-AcO-DMT is a prodrug of psilocin, it is an analogue of that scheduled controlled substance. On top of state law, the Federal Analogue Act (21 U.S.C. section 813) treats 4-AcO-DMT as a Schedule I controlled substance when intended for human consumption.
4-AcO-DMT has no single legal status outside the United States, because each country's own drug law decides it. The Federal Analogue Act and the Florida, Georgia and Louisiana listings apply only inside the US. In the United Kingdom, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 controls tryptamine derivatives under a generic Class A clause, but whether that clause covers 4-AcO-DMT specifically has not been verified. The position in other countries is not established here.
Compass Pathways and Usona are running Phase 3 psilocybin trials. We email subscribers when readouts and FDA decisions land.
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