BURNSBY, magic mushrooms dispensary Columbia (CBC) — Tucked inside a generic office building in Burnaby, a mycologist wearing a lab coat is inoculating mushroom spores onto a blue tray. This is the first step in a process to produce legal magic mushrooms that can be sold legally in this Canadian city. It’s the latest entry in a nationwide “mushroom boom” spurred by a growing demand and subtle changes to drug policy that are creating an opportunity for entrepreneurs and a raison d’être for psychedelics enthusiasts.
The business is booming despite warnings from some health experts about possible psychological effects. Hallucinogens like magic mushrooms can trigger a range of mind-bending experiences, including vivid geometric shapes, loss of identity and feelings of oneness with the universe. They can also trigger anxiety, depression and panic attacks, especially in people who already have a history of mental illness such as schizophrenia.
Magic Mushrooms and Mental Health: Separating Fact from Fiction
But magic mushrooms are among the safest recreational drugs based on emergency medical treatment rates, and are more than 10 times safer than alcohol, marijuana, MDMA and cocaine. The main risk of using them is that someone might confuse them with a poisonous mushroom, or take them in combination with certain medications such as antiretrovirals, St. John’s Wort or some antidepressants.
The first licensed psilocybin service center opened in Eugene in June, offering adults over 21 a chance to trip in a private room with wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress. Owners at Epic Healing Eugene say they have a waitlist of over 3,000 names, many seeking relief from depression, PTSD or end-of-life dread.