Downtown councillor flags illegal magic mushroom shop, new to Windsor

A new business in downtown Windsor is openly selling magic mushrooms and the owners are the first to admit it is illegal for them to be doing so.

"In an ideal world, we would like to open up a shop and be welcomed, even though it's illegal. But we won't get our hopes up," said Co-Owner Edgars Gorbans.

FunGuyz, located on Ouellette Avenue and occupying the former space of Roti Bowl & Soul, opened last week.

It's the eleventh location for a franchise built on selling magic mushrooms, despite the fact they are only legal in Canada with a prescription

FunGuyz does not require a prescription to purchase magic mushrooms there. The result, at its other locations, is constant raids by police officers, Gorbans told CTV News in an interview Tuesday.

In response to the opening of its Windsor location, downtown city councillor Renaldo Agostino has taken issue with a business selling illegal products operating in his ward.

"They're setting up on Ouellette Avenue as a legitimate business. That's not a legitimate business. That's my concern," said Agostino.

The owners of FunGuyz in Windsor told CTV News they have opened this business as a method of encouraging governments to legalize the hallucinogen, similar to what some cannabis dispensaries did prior to the 2018 legalization of marijuana.

"It's an exact replica of the same playbook, right? They're looking at the playbook and saying, 'This is what worked for marijuana,'"

According to Gorbans, FunGuyz's other locations, including one in London, have been raided more than 10 times in the past six months.

Their products have been seized, he added, and staff have faced charges related to possession and distribution.

"There's no easy way to put this. We sacrifice a lot financially. We sacrifice our own freedoms. We came into this business knowing the risks and we weren't just going to give up because we were met with some resistance," said Gorbans, adding it costs the owners "thousands of dollars" every time they have to reopen.

As for Agostino, he said there is a reason magic mushrooms have not yet been legalized. The drug, which contain psilocybin or psilocin, remains unlawful under Health Canada guidelines.

"I've brought this to the attention of police ... of bylaw, of city hall, city council and the media," said Agostino.

"I think we're going to see this place magically disappear shortly." 

Windsor police corporate communications director Gary Francoeur said the service is committed to enforcing current laws around illegal drugs.

“The Windsor Police Service supports measures aimed at improving community safety and ensuring the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs,” he said. “However, we are staunchly committed to enforcing current laws around illegal narcotics and will ensure that individuals who illegally possess or traffic in these substances are held criminally accountable.”