In Canada, magic mushrooms are still illegal at the federal and provincial levels. In rare cases they are prescribed to certain patients. A current concern related to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the challenge faced by individuals confined to hospital beds who may benefit from psilocybin treatment. Access to psilocybin is difficult and unlawful for them. As existing laws on possession discourage doctors and nurses from administering or aiding in the patient’s psilocybin treatment, the alternative for the patient is often to resort to ordering magic mushrooms online. A current lawsuit is before the federal government on behalf of 8 plaintiffs, seeking greater access to medical psilocybin.
In Ontario, enforcement varies greatly depending on the area.
In the city of Toronto, the municipal government has largely avoided legal action towards magic mushroom dispensaries. This may be because law enforcement efforts generally focus on dangerous drugs connected to organized crime, and drugs that lead to addiction and death.
Magic mushrooms are non-toxic, and have a low potential for addiction. Unlike other recreational and prescription drugs, psychedelic mushrooms have almost no effect if you do them repeatedly, making them impossible to abuse. Even Health Canada acknowledges: "There is little evidence that people can become physically or psychologically dependent on magic mushrooms."
It’s encouraging to note that all major hospital groups & universities are conducting their own research into psilocybin mushrooms. The University Health Network has been conducting “psychedelic psychotherapy” research since 2021 thanks to a grant from the Nikean Foundation. CAMH received federal funding in 2022 to start psilocybin research. Even the University of Toronto has been conducting its own research into the benefits of magic mushrooms microdosing since 2019.
During early clinical trials, psilocybin as a potential treatment has shown two positives:
1) Compared to a pharmaceutical used to treat the same issue, psilocybin has been effective as a treatment without the negative side effects like addiction, dependence and liver toxicity.
2) Psilocybin has been effective as a short-term treatment for the same issue. Unlike the corresponding pharmaceutical, patients don’t crave or require psilocybin on a daily long-term basis to treat the same medical issue.
With an increasing number of individuals recognizing the advantages of psilocybin, particularly its capacity to treat health issues without causing side effects, there is optimism that Canada might eventually legalize psilocybin mushrooms, similar to the legalization of cannabis in 2018.