Psychedelics like magic mushroom store vancouver  are still illegal in Canada unless you have an exemption, but many storefronts are openly selling them as the government turns a blind eye. Some are even promoting the hallucinogenic drug as having therapeutic benefits for mental health conditions and end-of-life distress.

Longtime pot activist Dana Larsen, who ran one of the Vancouver locations raided Wednesday and now owns two more, is leading the mushroom boom in the city. His shops are openly selling psilocybin, along with other psychedelic drugs including mescaline from peyote and cacti; DMT (a naturally occurring substance that can be found in plants and also manufactured as a pill); and LSD. He’s also selling coca leaves and products derived from them, which are used to make cocaine; and kratom, a stimulant sourced from the leaves of a Southeast Asian evergreen.

Into the Fungi Wonderland: Navigating Vancouver’s Mushroom Shops for a Magical Experience

The stores Larsen operates are called Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary and Coca Leaf Cafe, and they’re similar to the grey market cannabis dispensaries that opened across Canada well before marijuana was legalized. But he’s taking things a step further by offering a wide range of products from dried magic mushrooms to psilocybin microdose capsules.

The dispensaries are operating in a legal grey area because the federal government hasn’t approved psilocybin as a medicine, although there are ways for people to get an exemption. Despite this, Larsen says he has no plans to shut down his stores. He believes his efforts will push the federal government to make psilocybin available to more Canadians.