The manager of two Shroom World stores says he’s being pressured by his landlords and the police to close even though there’s little evidence psychedelic mushrooms are creating problems in Ottawa.During the past week, he said, the police issued notices to their landlords, demanding they cease any illegal activity on their premises. The landlords, in turn, told Patterson they would have to leave.
The police, he said, are wasting taxpayers’ money by cracking down on psilocybin when it’s other substances – fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, alcohol – that are driving street crime in Ottawa. With respect to local psilocybin dispensaries, the Ottawa police describe their approach as measured and proactive, involving “education, deterrence and enforcement.”Originally from Vancouver, Patterson, 29, said he has been around mushrooms all of his adult life and has seen their medicinal power first-hand.