A bright green banner draped over a Vancouver coffee shop reads “MUSHROOM DISPENSARY,” and inside, aging hippies, solitary businessmen, and streetwear-clad youth browse glass cases stocked with dozens of strains of fungus emblazoned with names like Penis Envy and Jedi Mind Trick. The shop also sells mushroom chocolates and microdosing capsules. To buy a product, customers flash their IDs, sign a health form, and — if they feel inclined — leave a Google review. URL magicmushroomsdispensary.ca

The dispensery, which has popped up in cities across Canada, has been welcomed by many. But it’s also a form of civil disobedience, according to Jean-Sebastien Fallu, an addictions specialist and assistant professor at the Université de Montreal’s School of Psychoeducation. He says there’s a growing body of research suggesting magic mushrooms have therapeutic effects. FunGuyz’s owners say they’re engaging in similar civil disobedience to the people who opened cannabis stores before it became legal in Canada.

Your Guide to Safe and Responsible Magic Mushroom Use: Tips from Dispensary Experts

There’s no evidence that magic mushrooms have long-term mental or physical health benefits, but they do appear to have short-term psychological effects, including heightened emotions and senses, and a feeling of connectedness. At high doses, they can also cause anxiety, depression, and paranoia, and can lead to a loss of judgement, which can result in dangerous behaviour such as self-injury, risk-taking, or drug-induced hallucinations.

The Canadian government classifies psilocybin, the main ingredient in magic mushrooms, as a Schedule I controlled substance. But spores, which can grow into psilocybin when germinated, aren’t covered by that designation under the federal Controlled Substances Act.