The newly opened `FunGuyz’ store, which sells psilocybin microdosing capsules, dried shrooms, and psilocybin chocolates has been consistently drawing the attention of the SPVM. Last Thursday, the Montreal police officers made their third visit to the magic mushroom dispensary.
As they knocked on the door of the store, they arrived to seize shroom related products and other materials connected to the shroom dispensary.
According to CTV news, despite the store’s recent opening, the SPVM Constable Julien Levesque confirmed that a 24-year-old man was arrested on the premises. Although he was released, the man has an upcoming court date to attend.
The SPVM has reported the seizure of nearly 4 kg of bulk psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms. These seizures were the result of three separate searches conducted at ‘FunGuyz.’ Additionally, law enforcement confiscated over 1,600 psilocybin tablets, 753 g of edible psilocybin products, and $10,000 in cash. The authorities have arrested eight individuals, all ranging in age from 20 to 50, as detailed in a press release issued on Friday.
Police carry out a raid at the FunGuyz magic mushroom dispensary in Montreal on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (CTV News)
The mushroom dispensary, which already operates eleven locations across Ontario was warned by Montreal’s Mayor, Valerie Plante, that the city will not tolerate illegal shroom shops. “Mushrooms [are] not legal in Canada so, of course, we will apply the law and Montreal police officers will be ready to act based on the law,” the mayor told CTV News approximately a month ago.
Quebec’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions told CBC news that the police has been granted an injunction “to seize the building and prevent it from opening for a fourth time.”
Since the production, sale, and possession of ‘magic mushrooms’ is illegal in Canada, the Montreal Police conducted its first search on the day of the store’s opening which resulted in the arrest of four people, while the second search a week later led to five arrests and the search of apartments.
The police operation targeting a home in Place Charles-Le Moyne, Longueuil, resulted in the seizure of magic mushroom products, but no arrests were made.
Despite the Montreal police continuously raiding the store, the mushroom dispensary’s owners are not giving up.
The threats of shutting down Montreal’s shroom dispensary do not appear to scare Owner Edgar Gorbans. In fact, he welcomes criminal charges because he believes that the fastest route to challenge psilocybin’s illegality is through court.
“With us having criminal charges, it’s a lot easier for us to go through the system in order to do the constitutional challenge,” Gorbans told CTV News.
A plethora of studies have been releasing positive data suggesting that magic mushrooms and other classical psychedelics may be effective in treating a range of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma and so on. Psilocybin, has garnered significant attention as a thoroughly researched psychedelic substance. Recognizing its remarkable safety profile and its potential to surpass current therapies in the treatment of depression, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated psilocybin as a breakthrough therapy for drug-resistant depression and major depressive disorder in both 2018 and 2019. On July 1st this year, Australia legalized psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of depression and PTSD respectively. Meanwhile, the largest Compass Pathways Phase 3 clinical trial investigating the safety, efficacy and tolerability of psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) began this year.
Canada has also made progress towards medicinal acceptance of certain psychedelic substances with Health Canada revising its Special Access Program to allow healthcare professionals to use some psilocybin in psychotherapy, demonstrating that there is a shift in public perceptions about psychedelic medicines. Will Canada ever legalize prescriptions of psilocybin in a medical setting? Only time will tell.