Are Magic Mushrooms Legal in Canada? 7 Key Facts

Are magic mushrooms legal in Canada? Have you heard of it or want to learn more about it? Whether these are healthy or not? If not, why do people still grow such things? Where are these planted?

Many more questions or doubts will arise in your mind, but don’t worry; this article contains all of the information you need to clear them up. You must read the entire article carefully. But first, you must understand exactly what magic mushrooms are.

1. An Introduction to the Magic Mushrooms

You must have heard of this term before, and that’s why you came here to search for it. So, the magic mushrooms’ biological term is Psilocybin mushrooms, and they are a group of fungi that contain psilocybin, which means several drugs are in them.

According to verywellmind.com, magic mushrooms are cultivated mushrooms that are responsible for the occurrence of the psychoactive compound that results in hallucinations.

According to the SAMSHA, psilocybin is a well-known component of the psychedelic plant. The presence of psilocybin in mushrooms can have several serious or life-threatening consequences, particularly when mental health conditions deteriorate significantly.

These mushrooms are known as hallucinogenic mushrooms, and they not only have psychedelic effects but can also control an individual’s mind. This mushroom’s use is not limited to here; it is also used in various indigenous traditions, such as connecting with the world of spirits.

1.1. How Magic Mushrooms Are Grown?

These can be found in forests, fields, lawns, and woodlands, but because they are drugs, they can also be manufactured in chemical laboratories. The psilocybin mushroom spores grew well in BC (British Columbia) and Quebec.

2. For What Purpose Are Magic Mushrooms Used?

Everything has its superiority and downside, and so do psychedelic mushrooms too. For medical purposes, it’s been used all over the world, but some countries have banned this for health concerns, although some countries still use this drug in their medicine.

Apart from medicine, it is also used by indigenous cultures in a spiritual and religious context.

Not only that, but people use magic mushrooms as an addiction similar to alcohol and for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, among other things. There is no doubt that it has uses, but these uses alone are insufficient to ensure it.

2.1. How Does Psilocybin Help to Deal with Depression?

When psilocybin enters the brain, it alters the brain’s response by converting it into a chemical messenger known as serotonin. Serotonin is a brain chemical that is responsible for all biological activities or functions such as mood modulation, recognition processes, and so on.

The transformation of consciousness, awareness, and perception in the user’s body and mind occurs when serotonin is broken down by the liver into psilocybin.

Psilocybin expands the area of the brain that processes all cognitive functions. When a user is suffering from severe depression, all of the compounds present in the brain’s area begin to weaken their connections, as this area is critical in regulating memory and emotions.

The reduced connection between brain cells is increased after taking psilocybin.

3. Are Magic Mushrooms Legal in Canada?

You are aware that some parts of the world have already banned this drug, regardless of whether others continue to use it. Consuming magic mushrooms will cause a great deal of pain, particularly mental pain, as you are likely to experience nausea, anxiety, depression, muscle problems, heart problems, high blood pressure, and other symptoms.

It may even cause flashbacks or hallucinations in some cases.

With all of this in mind, the Canadian province’s government decided to make the use of magic mushrooms illegal in 1982. Nonetheless, in a few rare cases, Health Canada granted permission to consume it, and people can also obtain magical mushrooms through the CDSA (controlled drugs and substances act).

The use of psychedelic mushrooms is prohibited or illegal for the majority of people, but it is legal for those suffering from mental illnesses such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression, death anxiety, and addiction. You must first complete some documentation to gain access to psilocybin.

3.1.  Conditions to Access Psilocybin in Canada

• You can gain access by obtaining a Section 56 exemption, as this section states that anyone caught doing drugs will not be imprisoned.
• SAP refers to a special access program that gives legal status to healthcare practitioners to request access to consume psilocybin, but under this program, you can only have a limited amount of drugs.
• Legalize psilocybin mushrooms, they should only be used for therapeutic purposes. Psilocybin can only be obtained for medicinal use.
• A clinical trial is also required to get authorization for psilocybin. Some documents are also required that you already know about; for details, you can visit the site. All the contact details are given there, but without clinical trials, you won’t get access.

4. Why Are Magic Mushrooms Illegal in Canada?

Magic mushrooms are illegal for a variety of reasons, not just one:

• It’s a type of drug that can make someone’s life more dangerous.
• It may also result in death.
• To protect people’s lives there, as consumption was in very large amounts.

Magic mushrooms became popular during the 1970s, according to history. Psilocybin was banned in 1974 as a result of its inclusion in the Food and Drug Act. After a while, there was a court case to make it illegal in Canada, and people were divided into two groups: those in favor of banning psilocybin and those who did not.

Every year there was a conflict or battle between the transient mushroom pickers and the residents, which was termed “the mushroom war.” But finally, in 1982, the Canadian court stated that mushrooms that have the amount of psilocybin in them are considered illegal.

4.1. Factors Responsible for Making Magic Mushrooms Illegal

4.1.1. Mental Factors

It has a high impact on the mental state of the consumer:

• A person can experience high emotions but no sad emotions.
• They feel extremely happy and find themselves more creative than before.
• The person who consumes it suddenly starts laughing for no apparent reason.
• It will also make your emotions clear.

You’re probably wondering why it’s illegal if all of the reasons mentioned are positive. because it disrupts the natural cycle of mental processes in the human body, which is not a good sign.

Not only are there positive effects, but there are also some negative ones, such as mood swings, fearful feelings, panic attacks, lightheadedness, and so on.

4.1.2. Physical Factors

Chemical numbness in the face, nausea, vomiting, increased blood pressure and heart rate, high body temperature with shivering and cold, sweat, muscle twitching, and other symptoms are examples of physical factors. People lose control of their urine in this situation as well.

4.2. What is the Current Status of Magic Mushrooms?

The Canadian province decided to make it legal again on October 5, 2022, and Alberta is the first province where the use of psilocybin is legal, but only for medical purposes such as psychotherapy. This new regulation became impactful in January 2023.

5. Are There Any Risks to Ingesting Magic Mushrooms?

 5.1. Bad Trip

Magic mushroom users are more likely to have a bad trip. This bad trip differs greatly from the gaming term “bad trip,” as it refers to the sensation of brightness, loss of self, and so on. A high dose also takes control of your emotions, increasing your chances of making poor decisions and leading to risky behavior that may result in trauma.

5.1.2. What Kinds of People Can Catch a Bad Trip?

The majority of bad trips occur when taking high doses of magic mushrooms for the first time. Patients suffering from depression or unfamiliar environmental surroundings may also experience a bad trip.

According to deserthopetreatment.com, an overdose of magic mushrooms lasts about 6–8 hours, but not all of the effects are removed from the body because some of the effects take time to disappear and can take a few days. Individuals’ mindsets are primarily affected by this drug, and returning to normalcy will take time.

5.2. Mental Issues

Individuals who have a disturbed mental state or are receiving psychiatric treatment and using controlled substances will see their condition worsen. They will be unable to control their minds, and they may experience flashbacks or relive past events.

 5.3. Health Issues

Psilocybin contains some harmful properties, including LSD, and as a result, the functions of an individual’s body are greatly affected. They may notice a change in the smoothness of their muscles as well as the function of their lungs and glands. Then there’s the possible chance of memory impairment.

5.4. What Should be the Limit of Consuming Magic Mushrooms?

It is entirely dependent on the individual who is taking or consuming magic mushrooms, as each person has a different holding capacity, and not everyone will have the same experience because each experience is unpredictable.

However, it is still recommended to take the standard dose of magic mushrooms, which is approximately 1.5 grams. It is also advised to use as little as possible due to its harmful effects.

6. Need  to Overcome the Addiction to Magic Mushroom

If you are addicted to something, particularly drugs, you must seek treatment. Treatment is required in the case of psilocybin mushrooms because consuming them causes people to become disconnected from reality, and when the effects wear off, people can no longer handle the pain, so they consume more of it, which is how they become addicted to it.

As we confront reality, we must overcome our addiction.

6.1. Treatment of Magic Mushrooms

After consulting with your doctors, you should seek professional help with psilocybin therapy.

 6.1.1. Psilocybin Therapy

This therapy is beneficial for people who are unable to cope with mental health issues, and it is similar to other therapeutic sessions. First, the therapist must build a trusting relationship with the patient so that they can open up about anything without fear of being judged. The psilocybin session will then begin.

The aim of this therapy is for the patient to share their independent thoughts or ideas to deal with emotional or behavioral patterns, and this happens only under the guidance of the therapist.

And once the patient thinks that they can deal with their emotions without any drugs, they are free to go as long as the therapy is successful.

 6.1.2. Use Detox

As per addictioncenter.com, another option for breaking the addiction to magic mushrooms that you can consider is detox. For example, if someone consumes magic mushrooms in combination with other substances such as liquor, stimulants, and many more. As an outcome, they will use lesser amounts of the drug.

7. What Are the Precautions and Warnings for Using Magic Mushrooms?

Magic mushrooms can result in life-threatening conditions, so before devouring them, you must be aware of the precautions and warnings that are mentioned below.

7.1. Pregnancy

Psilocybin should be taken only if advised by a medical professional, and pregnancy is a time when women must be especially cautious. Drug use during this time period will have a significant impact on the child and may result in a miscarriage.

Also, magic mushrooms are harmful to the newborn baby.

These are only educated guesses about what might happen during this time, but there is no reliable information on whether or not pregnant women should consume magic mushrooms.

Again, there is no exact idea whether psilocybin is safe for breastfeeding the baby or not, so for the safety concerns of your baby, you avoid consuming it.

7.2. Heart Problems

Consumption of psychedelic substances can result in serious heart diseases, which can lead to death. Cardiac arrest is extremely common, and other heart problems will also have an impact. It also raises blood pressure, so people with heart problems should exercise extreme caution when using psilocybin.

7.3. Mental Health Disorders

Bipolar disorder is one of several types of mental health disorders, and people with such disorders are more likely to develop mania. You’ll experience a lot of mood swings as well as emotional highs.

Furthermore, schizophrenia, psychosis, and other mental health disorders are dangerous for the patient who is consuming magic mushrooms.

7.4. Medications

Avoid using medications that contain psilocybin while taking other medicines. especially if someone is taking medicine for mental health disorders.

Taking other medications and magic mushrooms at the same time will create some harmful chemical reactions inside the body, which might result in giving birth to a new disease.

 8. FAQs

What Age Group Has the Most Chances of Getting Addicted to Magic Mushrooms?

Psilocybin is a drug that people consume when they are suffering from a major depressive phase in their life. Although it is not good for them as they are very young and should fight their problems, if they are unable to do so, they should go to therapy sessions and talk to their parents and friends instead of taking drugs.

There is no doubt that it is beneficial for depression, but getting over depression through a natural process or therapy would be more beneficial than magic mushrooms, which keep people away from reality by controlling the emotions and mind of the consumer.

What Are the Methods to Intake Magic Mushrooms?

If you are not aware, let me tell you that magic mushrooms can be taken mostly by mouth and are recommended as well. These mushrooms are used fresh and dried, and usually, people do not swallow them directly but rather take them with the help of some liquid medium like tea or alcohol.

But it is used in food items too when they become too bitter. By shredding it on the food, it masks up the bitterness.

It is advised to ensure that you avoid taking psilocybin via injection because it can result in life-threatening conditions for those who consume it.

3. Can Magic Mushrooms be Smoked?

A magic mushroom is a drug product that can be easily consumed by smoking. Now, want to know how? Here it is: These mushrooms are also called shrooms, and these shrooms can easily be converted into powder and smoked like other drugs.

Also, it can be taken by putting them in tobacco, but these mentioned ways are not considered good options at all because they can put you in an almost-death condition.

4. Is Psilocybin Dangerous or Leads People to Lose Their Lives After Consuming It?

Psilocybin is considered the safest drug because it is used to treat poor mental health and is low in toxicity. No matter how many psilocybin overdoses you take, you will not die, but your mental state will deteriorate significantly.

You’ll either experience the extremes of a bad trip or become overly overwhelmed by your emotions. It has the potential to be fatal, yet it won’t let you die easily. Overdosing will only cause you pain.

5. Which Kind of Mushrooms Are the Best for the Treatment of Depression?

You may already be aware that psilocybin is considered the quickest drug treatment for depression. However, it can also be used to treat cancer-related anxiety. Cordyceps Mushrooms are the most beneficial type of mushroom.

Apart from cordyceps, Reishi and lion’s mane can be considered too. Not all mushrooms are going to act similarly, but all three mentioned are effective and anti-inflammatory.

These are considered as they give adaptogenic and anti-oxidant activity that helps in regulating moods and the functions of the brain.

Conclusion

Magic Mushrooms, or “psilocybin,” are drug substances with very little chance of affecting the human body, but people do consume them when they are unable to deal with their emotions. Psilocybin, a mushroom-derived chemical, is used to treat mental symptoms that include depression, stress, and anxiety. Although it is regarded as a positive thing, it is a drug, so there will undoubtedly be some risks.

The use of magic mushrooms keeps users away from reality, and when its influence on the body becomes too strong, the users are unable to face reality, so they start overtaking it and becoming addicted, but addiction to anything, including psilocybin, can be removed.

The article contains all of the information that a person should be aware of before, after, and while taking psilocybin. Are magic mushrooms legal in Canada? I’m hoping that this and other doubts will be cleared up soon after reading the whole article.