For the past two years, magicmushroomsdispensary.ca have opened in downtown Vancouver and Toronto, fueled by growing demand and changes to drug policy. The stores openly sell psilocybin, a hallucinogen that can cause feelings of transcendence and spiritual awakening. They are a test run for how to regulate an emerging industry, but they also threaten to push the drug into the mainstream, much like marijuana did in the 1960s and 1970s.

The owners know they’re breaking the law by selling magic mushrooms, but they hope regulators and police will see it through a similar lens as they did with marijuana. They argue it’s not a recreational drug and there is a medical need for people who suffer from mental health issues.

Beyond the High: The Therapeutic Benefits of Magic Mushroom Therapy

Storefronts like Fun Guyz, Shroom City and House of Mush display paintings of colorful fungus on their exteriors to attract customers and goad authorities. Inside, there are stacks of hemp lip balms and stoner-centric comic books. The staff says it’s common to see customers wearing brightly colored hoodies and carrying backpacks full of bags and jars of mushrooms.

The business model is still illegal, but authorities are turning a blind eye to the shops in Canada’s biggest cities. The first step to buying mushrooms is to sign up for a session with a trained facilitator who stays with clients as they experience the drug. The shop can reject those who are having active psychosis or thoughts of harming themselves and won’t sell to anyone who has taken lithium, a medication used to treat mania, in the past month.