…at downtown magic mushroom… shops
Windsor Coun. Renaldo Agostino… who represents the downtown on city council [Ontario]. “And you know what the truth is? One day, if that business is allowed to open, I’d be more than happy to welcome it.”
A spokesperson for the stores [FunGuyz] who identified himself as Chris Stewart says they’ve been raided over 120 times… they state that the public was emailing and calling them, and they felt “obligated” to open some of their locations… store closures have put over 50 employees out of work… in addition to that, they have been getting many worried phone calls and emails from customers… suggested visitors ring the bell “and take a chance” on whether or not it was open… walking into The Golden Teacher in Ottawa’s Lowertown, shoppers are met with soft music, wood furnishings, coffee table books and, of course, fungi imagery everywhere… those behind the store say they never expected to be the one and only magic mushroom dispensary to open… employees say that while they seek to destigmatize psilocybin use and meet a need, they’ve also been keeping a low profile… Andy Hathaway, professor of sociology at the University of Guelph says there are a lot of lessons to learn from cannabis when it comes to the potential legalization of magic mushrooms. “It’s somewhat reminiscent of the early days before cannabis legalization, where there were a lot of outlets, retail outlets, operating – some above board with the full knowledge of police, some not so much.” …after closure of the stores, he said the company’s phones and email have been lit up with upset customers. Many of these people are microdosing for medical reasons, such as individuals who have cancer or depression, people who are tapering off harder drugs and people who use the substances recreationally. [The B.C. government says more than $100,000 seized in police raids of Vancouver mushroom dispensaries should be forfeited as the proceeds of crime. …activist Dana Larsen, who is named as a defendant in the civil forfeiture lawsuit, said he will fight to get the cash returned… Larsen said his lawyer suggested they have a good chance of getting some of the cash back… Larsen said businesses connected to him always seem to get targeted by police because he is a high-profile legalization activist, “There’s a lot of other mushroom dispensaries in Vancouver, and although a lot of them, like us, have challenges with the city when it comes to business licences and fines and threats of closure … we’re the only one to have been raided like this twice.”]
Original Article (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation & AM800 & Windsor Star & Toronto & Edelic Archives):
Ottawa magic mushroom shops keep a low profile as police crack down in other cities & ‘We give up’: Illegal magic mushroom chain FunGuyz closes all 30 Canadian locations & Some FunGuyz locations still operational despite announcement to close their 30 locations & FunGuyz closes most stores across Ontario but continues selling magic mushrooms online & Windsor police raid downtown magic mushroom store for fifth time
Artwork Fair Use: Clovermoss
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