A wave of magic mushroom Canada shops is popping up across Canada. The small, slender fungi contain the mind-altering substance psilocybin, which belongs to the family of hallucinogens that also includes LSD and mescaline. Despite the growing popularity of microdosing, magic mushrooms remain a controlled drug, meaning it’s illegal to grow, buy, sell or possess them without a license or exemption from Health Canada.

At a shop called Fun Guyz in downtown Toronto, a mural of colorful fungus covers the exterior. Inside, a sign welcomes customers to “walk into a new reality.”

The storefronts are easy to miss, but the businesses are legit: The company behind them, Filament Health, is a pharmaceutical and natural psychedelic research and development firm. It supplies psilocybin mushrooms — called “mystery shrooms” in the industry — to Health Canada and to clinical trials.

In the first year that psilocybin was prohibited, there were just two convictions. That rose to 25 in 1976, and to 149 in 1978, with most of those convictions occurring in British Columbia.

Legal Insights: Magic Mushrooms in Canada

Eugene Oscapella, a lawyer who specializes in drug policy, said it’s unclear whether police will pursue the magic mushroom stores. He says some factors may play a role, including whether there are noise complaints or reports of selling to minors. “They have to decide if it’s worth the expense and time to go after this or to focus their resources elsewhere,” he said.