Here’s the introduction
What happens when cannabis farmers begin growing psilocybin? That’s not the set-up of a joke. That’s a serious question.
British Columbia‘s craft cannabis farmers, patient advocates, and psilocybin aficionados met in Duncan, B.C., this past June to discuss the answer to that question.
TheraPsil, a non-profit that advocates for psilocybin therapy, hosted the event alongside the B.C. Craft Farmers Co-op.
When Cannabis Farmers Grow Psilocybin
Illegal or not, B.C.’s craft cannabis farmers are ready to grow psilocybin.
Albert Eppinga, an Indigenous cannabis farmer, is also co-founder of Shaman Psychedelics. This Indigenous-owned company received a Health Canada exemption that allows them to cultivate and sell psilocybin mushrooms.
Jim Doswell is another B.C. resident granted the psychedelic exemption. He said the process to gain his exemption was lengthy, taking six months in total. And the process isn’t easy. Some applications aren’t approved.
At the event, TheraPsil presented an overview of draft regulations they’d like to see the federal government adopt.
Their proposed regulations would remove psilocybin from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It would effectively put psilocybin medicine in the hands of more Canadians.
It would allow all cannabis farmers to grow psilocybin mushrooms. This initiative is precisely what the federal government should be doing. But will they?
Psilocybin Legal Status and Exemptions
Psilocybin is illegal in Canada. However, so was cannabis once a time. And that never stopped B.C.’s craft cannabis farmers from growing cannabis or psilocybin.
In 2021, the federal Health Minister granted legal psilocybin exemptions for specific individuals.
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