Management at a magic mushroom dispensary in downtown Chatham does not expect to face legal repercussions for the sale of illegal drugs.
The manager of Fun Guyz in Chatham, who provided the name Matt Cohen, said he is not concerned that he could potentially face criminal charges for possession or trafficking the illegal drug psilocybin, which is commonly found in magic mushrooms.
“I think [police] are after the people at the top, which is the owners. I’m just an employee at the end of the day,” Cohen told CKXS News. “I know if I do get charged with anything, the owners do take really good care of the employees. They spend a lot of money retaining their lawyers to take care of everything, so I’m not too concerned.”
The dispensary, located at 101 King St. W, is part of a magic mushroom store chain that operates mainly in Ontario. The Chatham location was raided twice by members of the Chatham-Kent Police Service Intelligence Unit last week, resulting in the seizure of over $30,000 worth of psilocybin.
Public records obtained through the Municipality Chatham-Kent show that the property is currently owned by Lentina Holdings Corporation. Repeated calls to the holding company have gone unanswered as of publication.
Cohen, a Toronto resident, claimed that the only reason police officers raid stores in the Fun Guyz chain is due to public complaints.
“The two raids that happened in Chatham; none of the employees were actually charged… the police in Chatham were very kind and friendly and we obviously appreciate them doing their job, we respect it,” Cohen told CKXS News. “The community and police don’t really care because they have a lot more important things to deal with than psilocybin.”
Cohen added that the Fun Guyz company advocates for the legalization of psilocybin and uses its 23 brick-and-mortar stores in Ontario to push for that goal.
“We’re actually at the forefront to making it fully legal in Canada. We have an active case out of London and we’re fighting it under the Constitution right… and for freedom of thought as well,” he said. “We believe [psilocybin] has a lot of benefits for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and such things as addiction.”
The Chatham-Kent Police Service said an active investigation into the dispensary remains ongoing and authorities are seeking a long-term solution to address the establishment.
