Article content

Who’s ‘shrooming who abroad?

Article content

MycoMeditations, a Jamaican retreat centre, is one of several in the world offering facilitated psychedelic psilocybin mushroom sessions, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Such centers have drawn tourists from all over the world thanks to a surging interest in the reputed mental health benefits of psychedelics for maladies such as treatment-resistant depression and end-of-life distress.

Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal in most places in the U.S. and Canadian law only allows them to be prescribed for research purposes or clinical trials.

“Psilocybin is not illegal here, and it’s one of the few places in the world where you can actually use these substances,” Justin Townsend, MycoMeditations’ CEO and head facilitator, told the Washington Post.

Article content

The Netherlands’ legal loophole allowing for psilocybin sclerotia, or “truffles,” sales makes it another destination.

Voters in the District of Columbia approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize the use of psilocybin mushrooms, while Oregonians approved legally using psilocybin in therapeutic settings. U.S. psychedelic getaways may become a wellness travel trend in the future.

“I’m very excited to see how it continues to go — I think the recent passage in Oregon is going to have kind of a ripple effect,” said author Michelle Janikian, who penned the 2019 book Your Psilocybin Mushroom Companion.

Janikian, who has volunteered at and participated in magic-mushroom retreats, has this advice.

“Folks need to research their retreat leaders,” she told the Washington Post. “Do your homework first to make sure it’s a safe and integral place.”