The Shroom House in Portland is getting attention around the country; and judging by the blocks-long line of people waiting to get in and buy psilocybin, local attention is even greater.
Shroom House calls itself a wellness shop but makes no pretense about selling psilocybin in a dispensary setting, which is not legal in Oregon.
Measure 109 made it legal for some people to use psilocybin, with restrictions; but that measure doesn't go into effect until January of next year.
Psychedelic mushrooms are often prescribed as treatment for some illnesses and problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Cassie Cadence waited in line to buy some, saying mushrooms are what helped her leave a homeless lifestyle and living on the streets.
It kind of gave me a new perspective on life. I would definitely say that they were kind of a catalyst propelled me to wanting to have the urge to keep trying. I’d been on all kinds of prescription medications all my teenage years and nothing like mushrooms has kind of hit that spot. That gives me the motivation to want to keep living, you know," said Cadence.
Jordan Larrabee started using mushrooms as a teen, saying it helped him get through the suicides of two friends in one day, but he's a little apprehensive about the legality of it.
Not necessarily making it any easier but help process stuff and come to a place where I understand. And come to a place where you kind of have the weight of it does not weigh so heavily on you. People are left with, well, what do we do now? And people like this are taking advantage of it. It’s like not illegal but not legal. So it hovers awkwardly in between. We’ll see how it goes," said Larrabee.
The Oregon Health Authority doesn't have any licensed psilocybin dispensaries at this time, and OHA says it does not deal with enforcement or regulation: that's up to police.
Portland police say they are aware the store is open and selling mushrooms but won't give details on the activity of the bureau's Narcotics and Organized Crime unit.
So for now the store is open and doing brisk business.
That may turn out well for the business next door, Kitsune PDX, an anime shop.
Yeah, a lot of people just peeking inside the store, watching the shows I like to put on, taking pictures, following me on Instagram. It’s been fun; it’s been fun," said owner Corey McCold.
McCold also said the Shroom House owner has been in to talk to him several times in the past months to see if McCold was OK with the Shroom House moving in next door.
The Shroom House owner also talked to the superintendent of the building, who has business on the ground floor and condos on the upper floors.
Wes Mahan, the superintendent, says he didn't see the store, which has been open for a few weeks, as a problem until the last few days, when more people became aware of it through social media and news reports.
"We’ve lost all our parking on the street: virtually within blocks there’s no parking. ... And the residents are starting to get a little annoyed that they used to be able to park here and now we can’t," said Mahan.