Magic mushroom dispensary in Ybor City halts sales months after start

Aug 22, 2023

by: Sam Sachs

Posted: Jan 13, 2023 / 11:06 AM EST

Updated: Jan 13, 2023 / 11:32 AM EST

YBOR CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — Chillum Mushrooms and Hemp dispensary, the first in the United States to sell "magic mushrooms," has halted sales of their fungal products after the Florida Dept. of Agriculture expressed concerns over safety.

Chillum opened in Ybor City in September. When it opened, it was the first hemp dispensary in Tampa Bay, then it added mushroom products, though they did not contain psilocybin, which is a controlled substance in most states and federally.

Billing themselves as the first mushroom dispensary in the nation, Chillum said they sold mushroom grow kits, spores, and mycology cultures, as well as functional mushrooms and "magic mushrooms." The company said the mushrooms would make you trip, even without psilocybin.

In December, the Florida Department of Agriculture investigated the products, due to the advertising claims and that the mushroom used, Amanita Muscaria, was not a regulated product. A statement to the press released by Chillum on Friday said they were halting sale of their fungus due to an order from FDACS, but that it was Chillum's own faux pas that led to the halt.

"Although these ingredients are legal by law they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe to consume," Chillum's statement read in part. "And that is where Chillum made their mistake. By telling people that the effects of consuming this mushroom would result in a micro dose effect or a trip, Chillum sealed their own fate."

FDACS investigated the mushrooms after the Chillum webstore "encourage[d] customers to ‘consume’ the mushroom," the statement read. As a result, FDACS inspected the products and stopped sales because "the psychedelic ingredients in the mushroom" might be poisonous.

"This is our fault," Carlos Hermida, founder and owner of Chillum Mushroom Dispensary, said. "They inspected us because we are subject to their inspections due to our hemp license which includes hemp and all prepackaged foods. They didn't raid us or anything, they were quite nice and just wanted to see what we were up to."

Hermida continued, saying that after inspections by FDACS, the department said the ingredients were poisonous.

"Ingredients in the Amanita Muscaria is poisonous and the truth is there is A LOT of bad info out there on this mushroom and psychedelics in general. We don't blame them for the stop sale. I think a testament to the fact that the Department of Agriculture was just doing their job is the fact that they let us send back all the product," Hermida said. "They put the stop sale down on about 40k worth of Amanita Muscaria product and they were nice enough to allow us to return it to our manufacturer."

Previous: Les Paul Said He Gave Gibson All of His Secrets for This Guitar, but Why Didn’t It Sell?! Next: Mooer unveils the Micro Looper II

Send inquiry

Send