Hospital admissions related to the use of magic mushrooms are often connected to what is known colloquially as a "bad trip." Clinical trials and Health Canada's Special Access Program are existing regulatory options through which a legal source of psilocybin may be accessed. These pathways should generally be pursued instead of an individual exemption under the CDSA, unless it can be demonstrated that access to psilocybin is not possible or suitable through these existing legal routes.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is an emerging form of therapy that combines the use of psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin with traditional psychotherapy techniques to address mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and addiction. Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms or simply shrooms, have been a topic of fascination and curiosity for centuries. These naturally occurring fungi possess psychoactive properties, inducing altered states of consciousness and a wide array of effects on the mind and body.

Often called "magic mushrooms," psilocybin mushrooms produce two primary psychoactive compounds, psilocybin and psilocin, which are responsible for their mind-altering effects. Many psilocybin mushrooms have a long history of traditional use and are popular as recreational drugs. At this time, there are no approved therapeutic products containing psilocybin in Canada or elsewhere.

Professor Mikael Palner, Dept. of Clinical Research, also researches psychedelic substances. One line of this research involves studying the pharmacokinetics of different psychedelic substances, such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT in rats. Another line aims to investigate whether psilocybin can treat rats with various mental disorders such as anxiety, compulsive behaviors, or PTSD. An additional hurdle making psychedelic mushroom identification difficult is the continuous variation in cap, stem and gill morphology (Guzmán, 2009). Expert scientific publications must frequently be consulted for the use of microscopic features.

"The findings are both intriguing and sobering," wrote Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School, in an editorial published in the same issue of the journal. But some opponents have said that the Mazatec people haven’t been properly consulted on whether the bill should move forward, reminding supporters that, for the moment, there is no infrastructure to make it happen. Santos Martínez, one of the founders Stars of Death Edibles Caracol Mazateco, a civil society group focused on preserving Mazatec culture, agrees there hasn’t been enough outreach to the Mazatecs. Then she handed each of her six visitors — who had driven seven hours from Mexico City and paid up to $350 apiece for a healing retreat — a generously sized portion, prompting a few dubious looks. An initial trial involving 10 to 15 healthy volunteers will be conducted to refine the process and gather feedback on the cultural protocols. The team has so far received support from the Health Research Council of New Zealand and ESR, a Crown institute.