Canada Shrooms a progressive hotbed of marijuana legalization, Canada is still a grey area when it comes to the sale and cultivation of magic mushrooms. The small, slender fungi contain psilocybin, a hallucinogen that can cause alterations in perception, pattern recognition and altered states of consciousness. They’re usually ingested orally and can last for several hours. According to Health Canada, when psilocybin is ingested recreationally it can lead to anxiety, fear and nausea as well as a twitchy body, while for medicinal purposes it can bring on depression and loss of appetite.

For years, wild Liberty Cap mushrooms have grown in abundance on Haida Gwaii, attracting hordes of mushroom pickers from across Canada who head to the island to gather them. This has resulted in squatter communities around productive harvest areas, along with reports of trespassing, property damage, adverse reactions to psilocybin use and ‘bad trips’.

Magic Mushrooms Unveiled: A Journey into Canada’s Fungi Frontier

Currently, the sale of psilocybin-containing mushrooms is illegal in Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It is only legal to grow them under a special license and with the approval of a doctor. However, some therapists and advocates are looking to change that.

In March, Burnaby-based cannabis company Filament Health filed an application with Health Canada to allow doctors and therapists to use psychedelics like MDMA and magic mushrooms for a range of mental health treatments. Its co-founder Ben Lightburn hopes working with Health Canada will help unlock the potential of these drugs for people suffering from severe mental illness.