In Florida, a mushroom dispensary has found a creative workaround. Chillum, near downtown Tampa, is selling the red and white spotted mushroom Amanita muscaria, depicted with popular emojis. This mushroom can be sold legally as it does not contain the banned psilocybin.
Mushroom Dispensary: Where, What, How & Who?!
Chillum, now marketing itself as a “mushroom dispensary,” appears to be the first of its kind in the United States. Since garnering a wave of media attention, founder Carlos Hermida claims his store has seen more visitors after introducing hypnotic psychoactive mushrooms in August.
Amanita Muscaria: The Fly Agaric
A. muscaria, commonly known as fly agaric, contains the psychoactive compounds muscimol and ibotenic acid. This mushroom is illegal in Louisiana, which has particularly strict laws regarding psychedelics. Due to potential vomiting and diarrhea after consumption, especially if eaten raw, it is often mistakenly considered deadly. This raw form is also banned in the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Romania. However, it is not controlled in the vast majority of the United States.
Historical and Cultural Context
With origins in Kamchatka, where the word “shaman” originated, this iconic mushroom has a long history of use in Siberia. The tribe “collects the amanita mushrooms, dries them in the sun, and eats them whole with water or reindeer milk extract, or mixes them with plant juice to sweeten the taste of it,” according to the psychedelic advocacy nonprofit ICEERS.
The Experience of Amanita Muscaria
According to Third Wave, “many people report that the fly agaric experience can be a positive one, feeling euphoric and in a dreamlike space.” After an hour or two, some people wake up and feel like they’re in a different world — things are the same but undeniably different in an inexplicable way.
Differences from Psilocybin
It’s important to note that the experience with Amanita muscaria differs from psilocybin or other classic psychedelic drugs. The main active compound, muscimol, affects the brain in ways similar to alcohol and has sedative, hallucinogenic, and dissociative traits that can take you out of reality. Dosages and preparations for amanita and psilocybin mushrooms are also handled differently.
While the experience of amanita has personal and spiritual significance in many cultural traditions, it can be challenging and uncomfortable for individuals, unlike classic psychedelics. Accidental injury, distress, and physical illness are known risks of Amanita, especially in high doses. Advocates suggest having a sitter to help prevent accidents — like walking into traffic or falling asleep in the cold. Caution and care should always be exercised.
Historical Use Around the World
There is evidence to support that this mushroom has been used worldwide since ancient times. “The fungus grows naturally in the highlands of Central America, and some mushroom myths and sculptures indicate that Amanita muscaria was used in Guatemala and southern Mexico around the time the Mayan civilization was forming (1500-1000 BC),” added ICEERS. Indigenous use, known as miskwedo, is also reported in northern Canada and around Lake Michigan.
The Legal Landscape and Activism
Psilocybin Legalization Efforts
Medicinal use of psilocybin mushrooms is being considered in both the U.S. and Canada by regulators. The U.S. federal government is preparing to legalize psilocybin along with treatment within a few years, while Canada is preparing for those with emergency medical needs.
Grassroots Movements in Canada
Domestic industries in gray areas are also mushrooming in Canada. A number of mushroom dispensaries have popped up in Vancouver and Ottawa this year to protest “unjust” laws. “We’re here to protest every day,” Jordan Armstrong, operator of The Golden Teacher magic mushroom store in Ottawa, told CBC. “Unjust laws don’t change unless you go out and make a statement. So we’re looking to change laws that we believe are outdated.”
While the mayor of Ottawa has called for shops in his province to close, police in British Columbia say they don’t think there’s much public interest in shutting them down. “[We] continue to target violent and organized criminals who produce and traffic harmful opioids, which lead to an ongoing illicit drug death health crisis,” a police chief told CBC.
Hermida’s Approach
For his part, Hermida has no plans to work outside the law, though he does sell legal mushroom growing kits, and customers must sign a form pledging not to use psilocybin-containing fungi. “If psilocybin was legal, I would sell it, but I don’t have the guts,” he said. “I’m an activist, and I’m going to try to change the laws. We’re going to create a mushroom revolution. But I’m here to obey the laws.”
Hermida, who has campaigned for the legalization of medicinal marijuana in Florida, hopes other businesses in the state — which haven’t yet approved recreational marijuana — will follow his lead and start selling fly agaric so that lawmakers will see the industry’s potential and find it more difficult to shut down. “I want to use this mushroom as much as possible,” he declares. “So please copy me. There are already a few people in Tampa renaming themselves Mushroom Dispensaries: I’m flattered, and I encourage it.”
The Broader Impact of Amanita Muscaria
Outside of sunny states, the possible effects of mysterious hallucinogenic mushrooms cannot be underestimated. Super Mario mushrooms bear a striking resemblance to Smurfs’ houses, and children’s literature is filled with illustrations of fungi. In 2017, a New York Times columnist controversially wrote, “It’s not far-fetched to come up with the story of our modern-day Santa Claus, the omnipotent man who travels the world overnight with presents… It’s all about hallucinogenic mushroom-eating shaman from the Arctic.”
Santa Claus and Shamanic Rituals
The authors note that “the shamanic rituals of the Sami people in northern Finnish Lapland, known for its cold climate and taiga, bear striking resemblance to our familiar stories of Santa Claus and Christmas.” The Fungi Foundation, a mushroom advocacy nonprofit, adds, “The shaman’s spiritual journey is thought to be linked to the idea of Santa Claus taking his sleigh and reindeer across the sky to deliver gifts. The shaman’s gift is to know mushrooms, given to those present in addition to sharing part of them with those attending.”
Myths and Modern Misconceptions
There have even been claims, albeit false, that the modern concept of Santa Claus is based on the Coca-Cola brand. Some suggest early Christian theology was heavily influenced by fertility cults where sacramental edible fungi were central, as mentioned by renowned linguist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Allegro in his bestselling book “The Sacred Mushroom.”
Hermida’s Personal Take
“They may not fall down the chimney, but they come to us by courier,” adds Hermida of his mushrooms. He sources his supplies from a wholesaler in Las Vegas who works with Lithuanian foragers. Mushrooms are treated to reduce their toxicity and are made into consumer products such as gummies, capsules, and powder, which Hermida says can be snorted or swallowed. “I’m not a spiritual person; I consider myself an atheist,” says Hermida. “But when I take this mushroom, I do feel more spiritual: I just feel more connected.”
Conclusion
Mushly does not advocate the use, sale, or ownership of any illicit substances. Be sure to understand the laws in your area and make informed decisions. Stay safe and be mindful of the legal and health implications when exploring the world of psychedelic mushrooms.
