what is psilocybin?

Magic mushrooms are a group of fungi. They aren’t actually “magic,” and you can’t buy them at a grocery store like other mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are more difficult to find, and people usually access them illegally in Canada. They contain a mind-altering substance called psilocybin (info from the Government of Canada). Psilocybin is a chemical found in the cap and stem of over 200 different types of mushrooms. They belong to a category of drugs called hallucinogens (info from The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), which are also called psychedelics.

Why do people use them?
People may use magic mushrooms:

to boost their mood
to cope with their emotions
to treat a mental health disorder
as a recreational (party) drug
in religious / spiritual practices
etc.
How do people use them?

There are different ways to use magic mushrooms. Some of these include:

eating them, cooked or raw (dried)
grinding them up to drink in a tea
sniffing them in a powdered form
swallowing them in pill form
Are magic mushrooms legal in Canada?

Magic mushrooms are illegal to grow, make, buy, sell or have in Canada without a license or special exemption.

There’s some interest in the use of magic mushrooms to treat mental health disorders. This is called psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. For example, to support people experiencing a mental disorder who don’t feel better with other treatments, psilocybin may be used. This isn’t legal for everyone across Canada, though.

Only some health-care professionals have approval to offer psychedelic-assisted treatment. They’re often only able to offer it to select patients through things like clinical trials and Health Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP). If you have questions about the use of psychedelics for the treatment of mental health concerns, you can ask a health-care professional for more information.