A plethora of psychedelic magic mushroom dispensaries in Canada can be found at Zoomers Dispensary in downtown Vancouver. The store calls itself the country’s first legal psilocybin dispensary. While the government continues to lag behind on approving therapeutic psilocybin products, stores like this and other online outlets are booming. They are serving a growing group of people who want to “micro-dose” a small amount of the hallucinogenic compound and see if it can help them with depression, anxiety or PTSD.
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Darren Lyman, who owns the dispensary, says his goal is to educate consumers and provide them with a safe experience. That means a consultation session to screen clients and discuss their reasons for taking mushrooms; an administration session where employees stay with the customer after they take the drug to guide them through their trip; and an integration session where staff work with them to process the effects of the experience. The session typically costs $30 and includes four grams of blue-streaked Penis Envy mushrooms.
The mushroom’s effects can range from euphoria and feelings of spiritual clarity to loss of judgement and paranoia. At higher doses, the fungus can trigger what is known as a bad trip that can lead to traumatic injuries or death.
The dispensary’s mushrooms are cultivated and treated in order to reduce their toxicity, which is why they cost more than marijuana at most dispensaries. They also taste earthy and bitter — a Reddit thread compared it to raw spaghetti, moth wings and soil right after rain.