Despite being illegal, Canadian shops peddling magic mushrooms have sprung up in recent years. A shift in government policy and a growing interest in these psychoactive fungi have fueled optimism that the country is headed toward legalization. Source shroomscanada.cc
Psilocybe semilanceata, or Liberty Cap mushrooms, are known as the most popular psychedelics in Canada. The small, slender mushrooms contain the hallucinogen psilocybin, which has been compared to LSD and mescaline. They are found in pastures and ditches across parts of Vancouver Island, the mainland coast and the Queen Charlotte Islands. They appear in early autumn after heavy rain and are picked by locals and visitors from eastern Canada, the U.S. and Europe, either to eat or to sell for distribution thousands of miles away.
Shroom Stories: Personal Experiences with Magic Mushrooms in Canada
But psilocybin is listed as a controlled drug and it’s against the law to pick, possess or sell them unless Health Canada authorizes it. Even so, in recent years there have been dozens of ministerial exemptions granted to terminally ill people who want to use the mushrooms as part of their end-of-life care. Hartle is among them.
In recent months, a handful of brick-and-mortar stores have opened in the heart of Toronto, Montreal and other big cities, openly selling the fungi and advertising psychedelic experiences that include mushroom-based meditation. Some have had police raids, but the stores continue to operate in a legal grey area and their owners appear undeterred by raids or public backlash against their operations.
