With cannabis enjoying widespread legalization across Canada, some mushroom dispensaries in Ottawa are attempting to replicate that model with a drug called psilocybin. While Health Canada hasn’t approved it for therapeutic use, stores and websites selling the illicit drug are popping up in cities such as Vancouver and Ottawa. And despite recent raids that seized thousands of dollars in products, the owners of those stores say they don’t intend to stop.

Jordan Armstrong, who runs a magic mushroom shop called The Golden Teacher in downtown Ottawa, says he operates as if police won’t shut him down. His storefront, which is about a 10-minute walk from Parliament Hill, has been open since December 2021. It sells a variety of items, including gummies, chocolate bars and microdose capsules that contain the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin.

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Inside the store, customers are greeted by a minimalist space with magic mushroom art hanging on the walls and books about the drug. They’re required to show identification and are limited in how much they can buy. The staff say the store is only a small part of their larger plan to make mushroom-based products and educate people on their effects.

A few city council members have suggested adding mushrooms and psilocybin to the medicinal marijuana bylaw that was passed last year. But that would require a city-wide vote and could be a lengthy process. Until then, the operators of these stores are hoping to win a reprieve from the authorities and that more Canadians will choose to experiment with the drug.