Magic mushroom dispensary opens in Cambridge

CTV National News: The state of magic mushrooms Heather Wright reports on the access to magic mushrooms in Canada, speaking with store owners and patients hoping to see them legalized.

A new magic mushroom dispensary has popped up in Cambridge.

The FunGuyz shop is open for business on King Street East in Preston.

The company has also opened other locations across the province, including St. Thomas, Windsor and Wasaga Beach.

Those were subsequently raided and shut down by local police.

Operators were also arrested and charged with drug offenses.

Magic mushrooms are a restricted substance in Canada, classified as a schedule III drug. That means it’s illegal to produce, possess and sell.

Clinical trials are currently underway, looking into potential therapeutic uses for magic mushrooms.

The drug is sometimes used as a treatment for depression, anxiety or PTSD. People also micro-dose small amounts of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms.

PSILOCYBIN SAFETY

The fight to legalize magic mushrooms is similar to the one faced by marijuana producers, advocates say. Canada legalized cannabis in 2018.

Health Canada, however, said there are no plans to legalize or decriminalize psilocybin products.

“Health Canada is aware of increasing interest in the potential therapeutic uses of psilocybin,” the federal agency recently wrote in a statement. But also added: “there are no approved therapeutic products containing magic mushrooms or psilocybin in Canada or elsewhere.”

Dr. Ishrat Husain, a CAMH clinician scientist, told CTV National News in February there needs to be much more “robust science” to determine if psilocybin is safe.

“I’m concerned about the increase in access to psilocybin and other psychedelics,” Dr. Husain said. “We don’t know who it’s helpful for, who it’s safe to use in. And you often don’t know what you’re getting when you’re getting it from these dispensaries.”

Some argue however, that like marijuana, legalization would lead to greater regulation and a safer drug supply.