CBC Manitoba Reporter Josh Crabb is on the trail of illegal magic mushroom dispensaries that are popping up across Canada that are challenging existing rules on the hallucinogen.

The magic mushrooms dispensary in Canada is considered a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which makes it illegal to produce, sell or possess. However, there are some exceptions such as allowing people near the end of life to access the drugs for therapeutic purposes and psychotherapists being trained to guide patients through psychedelic trips.

Storefronts with names like Fun Guyz and Shroom City are hard to miss in many of Canada’s biggest cities, where paintings of colourful fungi adorn the storefronts and employees hand out discount fliers to passersby. These are a small sign of a growing movement that advocates hope will lead to the legalization of the mushrooms and other psychedelics.

Advocating for Change: The Push for Further Recognition and Legalization of Magic Mushroom Dispensaries in Canada”

While it is still illegal to sell psilocybin, there have been subtle policy shifts in recent years that have inspired optimism among psychedelic enthusiasts and given them a raison d’être. Toronto’s first brick-and-mortar psilocybin storefront opened in 2022 and it has been followed by others in Vancouver, Ottawa, Hamilton, Winnipeg and London, Ont.

While some stores have been raided by police, most continue to operate in a grey area, selling the drug on its own or mixed into edibles. The owners say they are not worried about the risk of being caught, pointing to the success of Canada’s cannabis industry as an example. They also believe that with enough support, they can pressure regulators and law enforcement to take a similar approach as was done with cannabis.