In the past, it was possible to buy mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs only by visiting shady back alleys. But over the last few years, brick-and-mortar stores dedicated to microdosing — low-dose self-medication with hallucinogens — have cropped up in cities across Canada. Some are attracting attention, including one Ottawa storefront that was raided within hours of opening in 2023. In other places, police have largely let the shops operate.URL:heysero.co

Your Guide to Buying Magic Mushrooms & Shrooms Online in Canada

The reason may be that police have better priorities. “There are huge issues out there — is going after magic mushroom shops an effective use of police time?” says Ottawa-based lawyer Eugene Oscapella, who specializes in drug policy. However he notes that police have discretion over what to pursue and that there are factors that can influence their decisions, such as noise complaints or reports of selling to minors.

Despite the popularity of microdosing, psilocybin remains illegal to sell and buy in Canada. Possession and trafficking of the drug remain offenses, even though some medical patients, such as Thomas Hartle, were granted federal exemptions to legally use psilocybin in 2020.

The trend has caught the attention of researchers, who are exploring whether a small dose of psilocybin can help treat mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. A study launched by Vancouver psychiatrist Michael Farb, who was granted a federal exemption to use psilocybin to treat his cancer patients, will soon begin testing the effects of the drug in a controlled clinical trial.