Jordan Armstrong is not worried about police closures.
“We are here and we protest every day,” said Armstrong, who runs the magic teacher store The Golden Teacher in downtown Ottawa.
“And laws that are unfair don’t change unless you go out and make a statement about it. So we’re looking to change laws that we think are outdated.”
Since December 2021, Armstrong has been selling magic mushrooms and other products such as chewing gum, chocolates and microdosing capsules containing the psychoactive substance psilocybin in the store on the corner of Rideau and Dalhousie streets.
This is despite the fact that magic mushrooms are considered an illegal substance in Canada, available only by prescription in very specific circumstances.
And yet there are at least two shop windows in Ottawa that openly advertise them for sale. Along with the Golden Teacher, another Preston Street store called Shroomyz is set to open on May 1, according to its social media page.
Magic Mushroom Products from the Golden Teacher in Ottawa (Felix Desroches / CBC)
“We provide you with a safe, controlled dose, with a clear idea of how it will affect you,” Armstrong said.
“And then you go home and experiment on yourself with fungus.”
Gray Zone Research Center
According to Health Canada, the use of magic mushrooms – in addition to their hallucinogenic properties – can lead to anxiety, fear, nausea, increased heart rate and “bad travel”, even when there is a growing interest in [their] potential therapeutic uses. “
The production, sale and possession of magic mushrooms are illegal, Health Canada reported.
Armstrong said some of his clients use mushrooms for therapeutic purposes, while others use them for spiritual growth or self-development.
He added that the psilocybin products they sell are not just for “inflating”. Armstrong called the store a “gray area research center” that sells mushrooms to learn how they affect people.
He said they plan to study customers because there is limited information on dosing.
“What is widely unknown about mushrooms is the way they affect each individual,” he said. “And this is what needs to be known and what needs to be documented so that we can move forward with the proper regulation of the fungus.”
That way, “bad travel will be obsolete,” he said.
CBC also tried to reach Shroomyz, but failed.
Shroomyz on Preston Street is due to open on May 1, according to social media posts. (Francis Ferland / CBC)
Taking psilocybin legally
There are ways Canadians can legally consume psilocybin, with Health Canada clearing the way for seriously ill patients in 2020 to be prescribed magic mushrooms.
One concern about unregulated psilocybin is that it could potentially include hazardous substances such as fentanyl, said Dr. Valori Masuda, a palliative care doctor in Vancouver who is certified in psychedelic therapy.
Masuda may legally prescribe small doses of psilocybin to patients undergoing existential distress due to a late-life diagnosis.
“You can’t give antidepressants to people who are so worried about being diagnosed with cancer,” she said. “Medications don’t help. Sedatives don’t help. All it does is make people feel intoxicated. They’re still upset.”
Dr Valori Masuda said she had seen 80 per cent success while using psilocybin to treat her palliative care patients. However, she has concerns about unregulated psilocybin products, saying they should be regulated like cannabis. (CBC)
Masuda said she saw 80 percent success while using psilocybin to treat her patients with palliative care in the context of an eight-week group therapy session.
“They are no longer driven by anxiety. They are no longer depressed. They take every day as a magical day.”
The results of microdosing with psychedelics are “phenomenal,” Masuda said, adding that she would like to see legislative changes so that people have access to psilocybin in the same way they can now buy cannabis.
“Once we legalize it and have licensed manufacturers who are responsible for their product, then I think we see an improvement in safety – and we can see licensed suppliers providing microdoses, not large doses,” she said.
“And that’s really controlled.”
Some of the magic mushrooms sold at The Golden Teacher in Ottawa. (Felix Derosh / CBC)
Police acknowledge the illegality
The Ottawa Police Department has recognized that psilocybin is illegal.
In a statement, police told CBC News that it “reviews and evaluates drug complaints on an individual basis to determine the appropriate course of action, which may include further investigation and enforcement.”
Mayor Jim Watson said Sunday that he was unaware of the two magic mushroom shops, adding that he would like to hear from police what action they would take.
“If it is illegal, they should not work and should be closed as soon as possible.”
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