Shroom scanada aren’t illegal in Canada, but selling them without a permit is. The federal government designated psilocybin a Schedule III controlled substance in 1974, meaning the production and sale of the hallucinogenic drug are illegal unless you have an approved license or exemption. But a group of Canadian entrepreneurs are trying to find a way around the law.

One company, Fun Guyz in Windsor, says it will continue to sell mushrooms despite being told by police that the store is operating illegally. Co-owner Edgars Gorbans said he has faced enforcement and had product confiscated “nine or 10 times” at other stores in Ontario, but he plans to fight any charges.

Another group of entrepreneurs is Wake, a Winnipeg-based for-profit startup backed by private investment money that hopes to open treatment centres and sell mushroom products across the world. The company has already held retreats in Jamaica and the United States, and it recently announced a partnership with the psychedelic research nonprofit MAPS.

Canada Shrooms: A Journey into the World of Psychedelic Mushrooms

Josh Crabb is a reporter with CBC Manitoba who began his career in television in 2005 at CKX-TV in Brandon, Man. He has been reporting for CBC since 2010.

Taking magic mushrooms may cause people to see, hear or feel things that aren’t there and can also lead to anxiety, fear, nausea and muscle twitches as well as a higher heart rate and blood pressure. The federal government warns it’s important to take care and use caution if you choose to consume them.