What It's Like Visiting Denver's First Magic Mushroom Dispensary

Well, technically it's a co-op

Ever since I moved to Colorado back in February, I always wondered why I never saw any magic mushroom dispensaries pop up. 

I know they’re not technically legal, as mushrooms are only decriminalized, but I also know that there are still ways around the law so that it’s sort of legal, like the cannabis dispensaries in Washington D.C. I’ve been waiting patiently for something to emerge, until one day, I saw an online article about a mushroom dispensary that opened up here in Denver. 

Have my prayers finally been answered?

Unlike Canada’s open-door stores, Denver’s psilocybin shop is all very clandestine. 

The hallway leading up to and door to get into Psilocybin Mushrooms

In order to be granted access, you have to text the number in the ad in Westword Magazine, a local Denver magazine where Psilocybin Mushrooms openly advertises its services. I found the number, texted it, and was given instructions on how to schedule an appointment and get into the building. Then, I scheduled an appointment and waited.

The time has come.

It’s Friday afternoon. 

I’m finally ready to go to Denver’s first psilocybin dispensary.

I walk up to an unsuspecting building located at 800 W 8th Ave in Denver with big, bold letters that say Creative Studios at Inca Street above the door. I ring the buzzer for Darren’s office and go down the hall until I reach an unmarked door. 

This is it. This is supposedly the door for Psilocybin Mushrooms. I knock and then hear a voice on the other end say they’ll be with me in a moment. He must be with another client. About five minutes pass before someone walks out of the door holding a black package, and then I hear the owner, Darren Lyman, tell me to step in. Darren then walks me through the shop’s menu and answers any questions I have about using magic mushrooms. He also includes activated charcoal capsules with each purchase as a fail-safe in case things get out of control and any of his customers need the trip to end. I’ve never heard of this method to end a trip before, so I can’t vouch for its effectiveness, but Darren sounds like he knows what he’s talking about so I’ll trust him on this one.

Darren standing behind his desk

The space is nothing like the cannabis dispensaries out here, but that’s for good reason. Darren isn’t selling magic mushrooms; he’s selling consulting services on how to properly use them. The mushrooms themselves are just a gift for using his services. Pretty clever, right? I thought so, too.

With the passage of Proposition 122 in Colorado back in 2022, magic mushrooms became decriminalized for personal possession, growth, and sharing. However, the sale of mushrooms is still prohibited under Colorado law. This created unique challenges and opportunities for mushroom entrepreneurs, or mycopreneurs as my friend Dennis Walker would call them, to find ways to legally operate psilocybin mushroom businesses while still complying with the law. 

Darren has found a clever, yet not-so-unique way to offer psilocybin mushrooms to the community without breaking any laws.

First and foremost, Darren operates what’s called a co-op, which is different than a traditional dispensary. Co-ops actually became pretty popular in the cannabis industry back in the 90s before medical and recreational use started becoming legal. With traditional dispensaries, you might be making your own products or stocking your shelves by purchasing other people’s products, and then selling these products to anyone who walks in. With a co-op, you’re opening your space up to members of the community to create their own products within your space and offer them to other members of the co-op. 

This offers a way for personal users, growers, manufacturers, and facilitators to all come together and share this space to minimize costs and build more of a community. Think of it as more of a community hangout space than a dispensary.

The desk inside Darren's store

“They pay me for support, which is the consulting. I teach you how to use the mushrooms, I teach you how to dose yourself, I teach you how to cook with it, I give you recipes, ideas on what to make, teach how to use the chocolate teach how to use the microdose capsules, all the way from beginning to end,” Darren explains. 

This is how get gets around the law. He sells his services, while the mushrooms themselves are just a gift. This style of illicit selling has been done before, with other drug operators. Some websites sell a $100 sticker with a bunch of mushrooms as a gift with purchase, while illegal weed dispensaries of the past have also utilized similar structures.

Each order comes in one of these black bags, complete with instructions for proper storage and harm reduction resources

Now, what if you wanted to head over to Psilocybin Mushrooms and get some consulting yourself? What’s the cost per service?

Support for 4 grams of mushrooms costs $30, support for a half ounce costs $100, and so on and so forth. Darren also offers support for chocolate bars and microdosing capsules, with more menu items to come.

Regardless of what Darren  calls it or how it operates, Psilocybin Mushrooms gives people an opportunity to safely and discreetly obtain magic mushrooms without it feeling like a sketchy drug deal. Darren is knowledgeable and caring, and I hope his model will be replicated by others in places where mushrooms have been decriminalized as well. I, for one, couldn't be more excited for there to be an above-ground physical retail location to get mushrooms here in Denver.

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Cam Leids is an entrepreneur and a psychonaut through and through. He’s the host of The TripSitting Podcast and the founder of Conscious Retreats, a company that helps people find the best retreat center for their psychedelic journeys. He loves all things psychedelics-related, from the mental health and spiritual aspects to the downright crazy and nonsensical trips. He’s always down to hear and talk about it.