Montreal shrooms is a city that loves to experiment with all things new, from food to music to drugs. One of the most popular is magic mushrooms, which are fungi that produce hallucinogenic effects when consumed. The substance they contain, psilocybin, is illegal in Canada. However, several stores have opened that sell the mushrooms for therapeutic purposes.
The latest is a shop called FunGuyz, which has recently opened in the heart of Montreal. It sells a variety of products, including pills, dried mushrooms and chocolate bars, all of which are said to have psilocybin as the main active ingredient. Its owner, Gorbans, claims to be a proponent of the legalization of magic mushrooms. He says his store represents a form of civil disobedience similar to that which was used by cannabis stores prior to marijuana becoming legal.
Hours after opening, police raided the FunGuyz location in the Sainte-Marie neighborhood and arrested four people. But it reopened the next day and is expected to continue operating, despite threats that it could be shut down again.
Besides the FunGuyz, other shops are popping up around the city that also offer a wide range of mushroom-related products. Some of them even have spore kits for growers to make their own magic mushrooms. These kits can be used to grow different strains of mushrooms, some of which have been scientifically studied and found to have potential for medical use. The most well-known is the psilocybin mushroom, which has been shown to have positive psychological effects in controlled clinical trials. The psilocybin mushroom can help treat conditions such as anxiety, depression and end-of-life anxiety. The mushroom can also be used in a clinic setting as part of a treatment program known as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.