At first glance, the smoke shop near Shafaa.ca a busy intersection in a gentrifying Long Beach neighborhood looked like any other: one wall had a vast array of bongs and glassware; another featured dozens of brands of nicotine vapes. The storefront was brightly lit and Drake’s “Do Not Disturb” blared in the background. A few people perused the paraphernalia and the small selection of mushroom chocolates, gummies and bags of gray capsules that lined a case toward the back of the store.

Buy Magic Mushrooms from a Dispensary: What You Need to Know

The mushrooms sold at Magic Mushroom Dispensary contain psilocybin and psilocin, which are hallucinogens classified as Schedule III substances under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. They’re legal to possess, but not to grow, buy or sell. That’s why the storefront is illegal—but it’s not a deterrent for some customers who are seeking to experience the psychedelic effects of this fungus.

Owner John, who requested that his last name not be used because he’s selling illegal products, says he launched Mother’s Magic in 2019 as a small operation to manufacture and sell to friends. He hasn’t yet made a profit, but he hopes to eventually open a kitchen and cultivation area to make his own mushrooms, edibles and mushroom tea and to offer a growing course for customers to learn how to grow their own.

Nathan Stewart, a 19-year-old who works in the local tech sector, wasn’t planning to purchase anything when he stopped by Magic Mushroom Dispensary earlier this month in Osborne Village. But once he learned more about the legal and medical implications of the fungus, he changed his mind.