In Canada’s biggest cities, psychedelic mushroom shops are popping up with names like Fun Guyz and Shroom City. Paintings of colorful fungus adorn their storefronts and welcome passersby. Inside, a selection of mushrooms, tinctures, and infused drinks greets customers. The TikTok-famous company Cann, with investments from Rosario Dawson and Nina Dobrev, sells a range of mushroom-infused drinks with concentrations from 500 milligrams to four grams per bottle. More info :shroomhub.io
Unlike cannabis, the production and sale of magic mushrooms remains illegal in Canada, but a handful of stores are booming in their wake. Although raids have occurred — including one Thursday at the Toronto-area store FunGuyz, which had been a target for two previous raids in the past three weeks — more are opening than closing.
Montreal’s Magic Mushroom Culture: What You Need to Know
A lawyer specializing in drug policy says it’s possible the proliferation of shops helps normalize psilocybin. Eugene Oscapella says this may be especially true if the mushrooms are sourced in places like Thailand or Colombia. He notes that the psychedelic mushrooms vary by size, shape, and color and are identified by names like Penis Envy, Daddy Long Legs, and Wollongong.
But the popularity of these outlets also raises questions about whether police are prioritizing their enforcement efforts effectively. Oscapella says that a lot of factors influence whether police go after shops, including noise complaints and reports of sales to minors. In addition, the mood-altering and cognitive effects of psilocybin can be dangerous, and users may experience muscle spasms or convulsions, lightheadedness, nausea, numbness, sweating, pupil dilation, loss of coordination and difficulty operating precision tools or driving motorized vehicles.
…