Frequently Asked Questions

After decades of stigma, psychedelics are emerging into the medical limelight as potential treatments for a wide variety of mental health disorders.

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, dates all the way back to 1986 and has helped move psychedelic science from the fringe back to the laboratories of major institutions while pioneering MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for sufferers of PTSD.

The groundbreaking research undertaken by Johns Hopkins University since the early 2000s has led investigations into the medical potential of psilocybin. The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research was formally launched in 2019, and continues to conduct research into indications such as major depressive disorder and smoking cessation, among more esoteric inquiries into spiritual fulfillment.

On the other side of the Atlantic, UK non-profits and academic institutions such as the Beckley Foundation and the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London have been responsible for landmark developments in brain imaging and psychedelic neuroscience and investigations into the use of psilocybin for depression, as well as investigating substances such as LSD and Mescaline.

All of this is only the beginning. Hundreds of clinical trials are underway into the use of psychedelic substances for mental health treatments.

Psilocybin is a Schedule III Controlled Substance under Canadian Law. It is also an approved medicine for these select few patients.

Thanks to Section 56 exemptions to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as well as recent amendments by Health Canada to the Special Access Program, Canadians with urgent, unmet medical needs have been allowed to access psilocybin mushrooms for medical, therapeutic and mental health purposes.

Internationally, research into psychedelic medicine for mental health treatments has never been more robust, with hundreds of clinical trials in progress.

Through the Special Access Program, health care professionals may request access to drugs that are not currently authorized for sale in Canada to treat patients with serious or life-threatening conditions. Access to these drugs is only considered when conventional therapies have failed, are unsuitable or are unavailable. Patients can apply to the Special Access Program through a qualified medical practitioner. For more information, please click here.

We encourage qualified medical practitioners to review the Special Access Program application process here.

Patients consuming psilocybin for therapeutic purposes are best served by a safe consistent dosage to manage treatment outcomes. A safe supply of psilocybin means that these naturally-sourced medicines are held to the same standards as all other approved pharmaceuticals, namely GMP standards.

Patients allowed to consume psilocybin by federal health authorities deserve the same level of transparency, scientific rigour and accountability in terms of the sourcing and processing of their medicine that they would receive from any other approved medication.

Good manufacturing practice (GMP) is a system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. It is designed to minimize the risks involved in any pharmaceutical production that cannot be eliminated through testing the final product.

According to the World Health Organization, “Poor quality medicines are not only a health hazard, but a waste of money for both governments and individual consumers.”

Our psilocybin products are available for medicinal use only, meaning we are legally able to supply clinical trials and Special Access Program requests.

However, we do have a robust catalog of natural functional supplements which we are selling through our nutraceutical line. Functional mushroom nutraceuticals are known for their wide range of benefits in areas such as immunity, anti-inflammation, mood, cognition.

For more information or to make a purchase, please visit www.optimilife.com

We have legitimate concerns about the message being filtered in the media which suggests black or grey market psilocybin (and other synthetic psychedelics) is Canada’s best pathway to legalization. While we support Health Canada’s policy on access through clinical trials and the Special Access Program, we do believe that more needs to be done to provide safe supply to patients, consumption sites, and trials operating through the Section 56 (1) process.

Based on current science and research, Optimi believes at minimum patients at end-of-life deserve unfettered access to psilocybin through a qualified medical practitioner. We support the Psychedelic Association of Canada’s Memorandum of Regulatory Analysis (MORA) which would provide this level of access.

Because it only takes one toxic, designer drug laced with other contaminants or microbial adulterants to put someone at risk of serious harm. Properly sourced, pharmaceutical grade psilocybin is the only way to know for sure that you’re giving your body the highest, purest, and most bioavailable form of an ingredient possible. Our psilocybin and functional mushrooms are analyzed in our state-of-the-art laboratory and sent for third party analytical testing to ensure an extremely high standard of purity and maximum absorption.

Distributors and retailers who sell these products illegally are putting Canadian consumers and their businesses at risk, and that is why Optimi is 100% committed to taking the time to cultivate, research, and test our products for when the regulatory environment improves.

Strong evidence suggests yes. Fully legal, well-funded research programs in the mid-20th century found that carefully monitored and controlled use of psilocybin may be beneficial for many psychiatric disorders, personal and spiritual development, and creative enhancement.However, after psilocybin was banned in 1970, clinical research to evaluate its medical safety and efficacy of psychedelics was effectively halted until the late 90s and early 2000s.

Knowing the actual effects of psilocybin mushrooms, information on dosing, and resources for handling difficult experiences can help prevent dangerous situations, while enhancing their potential benefits. Mushrooms used non-medically are usually taken orally either by eating dried caps and stems, or steeped in hot water and drunk as a tea, with a common dose around 1-2.5 grams, though potency may vary regardless of the amount. Dried mushrooms are typically more potent than fresh ones. Due to the lack of quality control regulations under prohibition and the risk of consuming things growing in nature, there is potential for people attempting to pick psilocybin mushrooms in the wild to accidentally take poisonous mushrooms instead. Similarly, though also very unlikely, poisonous mushrooms are sometimes misrepresented and sold as psilocybin, and these do come with more physical risks, including fatal overdose.