Two men have been arrested after Toronto police officers seized a “large quantity” of dried psilocybin and magic mushroom edibles from a Queen Street West dispensary.
According to a news release, officers were investigating a commercial premise called “Shroomyz” that was allegedly selling psilocybin and psilocybin-derived edibles near Queen Street West and Denison Avenue. (Psilocybin is an active ingredient in the drug magic mushrooms.)
Police say they were granted a Controlled Drug and Substance Act search warrant for the location, and executed the warrant on Saturday.
Dried psilocybin, psilocybin-derived edibles, as well as proceeds of a crime were seized, according to police.
The possession, production and sale of magic mushrooms or psilocybin products are illegal unless authorized by Health Canada.
Because psilocybin is unlawful to possess, produce, sell, export or import in Canada, there is no way magic mushrooms could be legally sold in a dispensary, said criminal lawyer Daniel Brown.
“We saw this a lot before Marijuana was legal in Canada. There were dispensaries that set up and they would sell marijuana and marijuana products before it was legal to do so,” he said.
Brown noted that a person can apply for an exemption under the law, or may get special access to the drug in circumstances like a clinical trial. When drugs are used for therapeutic reasons, Brown added, they have to be regulated and controlled to ensure the active ingredient in the drug remains consistent.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/11/14/two-arrested-in-raid-on-queen-street-west-magic-mushroom-dispensary.html
