When you talk about magic mushrooms, some people might think of the hippie days. But it’s a serious drug that can alter how you see, hear, smell and taste, and change your thoughts and feelings. Here are some things you should know.

Calgary Magic Mushrooms

These fungi aren’t available at the grocery store and they’re illegal to grow, make or buy in Canada without a permit or special exemption. They contain a mind-altering substance called psilocybin, which is in a category of drugs called hallucinogens. It’s a natural substance, but it can also have side effects like paranoia and risk-taking behaviour that could lead to injuries.

RCMP seized 80 bags of the mushrooms from a home near a rural community east of Didsbury, Alberta, on April 17. Two Calgary men are charged with producing and selling the fungi.

3Amigos are becoming increasingly accepted as potential medicines for some illnesses, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. They’re also being used in psychotherapy to treat some patients with alcohol use disorder. But it’s difficult to get access to the drugs. The lawyer for a Calgary man fighting for legal access to the psychedelic for cluster headaches says it’s easier to have access to assisted death than to the treatment that would help him. Jody Lance, a former land surveyor in his 50s, suffers from excruciating cluster headaches, which he describes as “suicide headaches.” His request for emergency access to psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, was denied by Health Canada last year.