The brightly-colored storefront stood out among other retailers in Osborne Village. Wind chimes, tie-dye mattresses and a few dozen packages of psilocybin mushrooms lined the shelves.
This small magic mushrooms dispensary is one of many opening up across the country, challenging existing rules about magic mushrooms, also known as psychedelics. Psilocybin is federally illegal, but the owners of these stores are hoping for a different outcome.
Darren Lyman, 43, is the co-owner of the Denver Magic Mushroom Co-op. He operates openly, advertising in local papers and on his phone number. He says he gets around three or five calls a day from people interested in his co-op. A visit to his small studio costs $30, and four grams of blue-streaked Penis Envy mushrooms are included.
Beyond Psychedelics: The Therapeutic Potential of Magic Mushroom Dispensaries
The mushroom seller says he has had many visitors with depression, anxiety and PTSD who say that a session with psilocybin transformed how they view painful memories. Others just want to micro-dose, which is a smaller amount that can still cause intense visuals and feelings of euphoria and oneness with the universe.
Health Canada warns that consuming psilocybin may make you see, hear or feel things that aren’t there and can lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety, nausea, muscle twitches and mood changes. It can also make you lose control of your body, and in some cases, the effects can last up to six hours.
But a lot of people are showing up at these stores to buy the drugs, even though it is illegal. A few hours after the CBC visited, the tiny store filled with returning customers.
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