Magic mushrooms are considered a part of schedule III under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of Canada. It is illegal to possess, sell and use psilocybin but mushroom spore kits and grow kits are legal and are sold in stores as well as online. Spores and mycelium are legal.
According to the official website of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, magic mushrooms are classified under illegal drugs. Illegal drugs are usually grown or manufacturer for sale on the street and are for recreational purposes. These are chemical products or substances that when ingested can produce a mind-altering or psychedelic effect.
Magic Mushrooms as Illegal Drugs
Magic mushrooms contain an active compound psilocybin which naturally grows in certain kinds of mushrooms. Aside from being naturally found in some strains, psilocybin may be artificially made and sold in streets in capsule, tablet or white powder form. Dried shrooms are eaten raw or cooked. These may be placed in hot water to make tea. Mushrooms may also be mixed in fruit juice to make a kind of beverage known as “fungus delight.” There are also forms of magic mushrooms that are made into powdered form. This may be injected or snorted.
Magic mushrooms classification
Magic mushrooms are classified as hallucinogens and can be sold in mushroom form or brown powder form. It is known by different names: mush, shrooms, mushies, fungus, and fungus delight to name a few. The psychoactive compounds found in magic mushrooms are absorbed by the bloodstream and thee travel to the brain. These alter perception and can cause hallucinations. You can tell that a person had magic mushrooms his pupils are dilated, there are convulsions and there is muscle twitching or weakness. Magic mushrooms cause nausea and vomiting, numbness, exaggerated reflexes, paranoia or confusion, increased blood pressure and heart rate and loss of urinary control.
Short-term effects of magic mushrooms
Magic mushrooms can cause short-term mental and physical effects. Your emotions and senses may be heightened and you will feel creative, happy and euphoric. You may be seen laughing and giggling and may even experience a sense of emotional and mental clarity.
You will have a distorted perception of reality. You will see and hear things that are not really there. You will also have mixed up senses; you will see music and hear colors. You will also suffer from an altered sense of time.
Long-term effects of magic mushrooms
There are no studies done on the long-term effects of the use of magic mushrooms. According to the Government of Canada website, the use of magic mushrooms can be linked to psychosis. This refers to losing contact of reality with symptoms like changes in thinking patterns or disconnected thoughts, hallucinations, disorganized behavior, mood changes and delusions to name a few. It is also advised not to use magic mushrooms together with other drugs or with alcohol because this may increase the risk of serious side effects to health. The site also explained that there is little evidence that magic mushroom users could become physically or psychologically dependent. It is possible to develop some tolerance to the effects of magic mushrooms and this is due to days of continuous use. Magic mushrooms may become stale in a matter of hours when not dried properly or when kept fresh. This also reduces its active chemical content and effectiveness.
The medical effect of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics
According to an article online about the benefits of psychedelic drugs, there is therapeutic potential resulting from early research about the possibility for use of these drugs to treat mental illnesses. It stated that there were studies in the past that had glowing results in the use of psychedelics for mental conditions. Psychedelic substances and drugs may be combined with other treatment protocols like psychotherapy to help people with mental conditions.
Research on the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs
Prohibitions on the use of psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD are largely based on many factors. Research on the therapeutic effects of psychedelics may encourage changes in these laws. It was in the 1960s when psychedelics were declared illegal and research discontinued. Today, renowned scientists and non-profit pharmaceutical companies carry out studies and work with legislators. Results of medical trials are now published in reputable journals and newspapers to educate people about the positive therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Studies have shown that psychedelics can help with cluster headaches, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorders or OCD. Therapeutic use of psychedelics can lead to increased life satisfaction, improved creativity, improved social relationships, and improved mood.
Research conducted at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that a single high dose of psilocybin can decrease depression and anxiety by 92% in patients that suffer from life-threatening cancer. Still another study of psilocybin; smokers were able to overcome nicotine addiction after using the chemical. At around six months, 80% of smokers who participated in the study were still abstinent. This is very promising compared to other methods of quitting smoking that only has 15% to 30% success rate.
Another research from Imperial College London has proved that patients who have treatment-resistant depression have responded well to psilocybin treatment. Only two doses of psilocybin were needed to stop or reduce the symptoms of depression for months. These patients were able to live better lives thanks to psilocybin.
