With a mushroom dispensary near me on a storefront in downtown Toronto, the Shroomyz shop is not hard to find. It joins a growing movement to destigmatize and legalize magic mushrooms, inspired by the same playbook that helped destigmatize marijuana over the past decade. As more people try hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelic research and personal stories are convincing some lawmakers to reconsider longstanding prohibitions.
In some cities, buying magic mushrooms has become as easy as getting a coffee. In Vancouver, for example, shops like Fun Guyz and Shroom City have openly welcomed customers as they hawk their products at the edge of the legal grey area. Health Canada considers psilocybin, the active ingredient in traditional “magic mushrooms,” to be a Schedule III substance. While the federal regulator says a few clinical trials have shown promising results, it has yet to approve any therapeutic products.
But that hasn’t stopped companies like Fun Guyz from opening a dozen locations across the country, including in London and Windsor. And it hasn’t stopped police from raiding some of those locations, only to see the stores reopen days later.
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While most magic mushroom products on sale at those stores contain psilocybin, some are made from spores that don’t contain the chemical. As such, they’re not considered to be a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CSA).
A company in Florida called Chillum is also selling spores for people to grow their own mushrooms without the illegal compound. But Carlos Hermida, founder of Chillum in Tampa, takes care to avoid calling his products “magic mushrooms” and stresses that he’s not selling them for recreational use. He cooks and treats the spores to reduce their toxicity, then sells them in capsules and gummies. He also offers mycology growth kits that could theoretically let customers make their own psilocybin, though he asks buyers to sign an agreement saying they won’t.