Magic Boom Bars are the internet’s newest curiosity. According to the buzz, Magic Boom Bars are chocolate bars that purportedly give the consumer a psychoactive or “shroom-like” experience. This has prompted many people to ask the question: Do Magic Boom Bars legitimately have shrooms in them?
According to self-reports online, yes, they do. Magic Boom Bars claim to contain 1/8 oz. (or 3.5 grams) of “active properties.” While the labels don’t explicitly state what those active properties are, we can only assume the active ingredient is psilocybin, especially since they claim to be “psilocybin infused.” Alternatively, this brand of chocolate bars called Brainstorm Magic Boom Bars expressly list their ingredients, the first of which is 3500mg of dried psilocybin mushrooms. That’s exactly 3.5 grams, or an eighth of mushrooms.
What’s the Evidence Showing Magic Boom Bars Are the Real Spaced-Out Deal?
Admittedly, there’s scant evidence that Magic Boom Bars are the real deal outside of the self-reports. One subreddit, r/psychadelics [sic], features several comments from message board users claiming they ate some Magic Boom Bars and felt something, describing their effects as ranging from taking “an acid tab” to a full-on “shroom experience.”
However, Reddit users are largely anonymous, so there’s no way to confirm if these self-reports are real or if it’s all clever marketing with bots. You truly never know these days.
Furthermore, some websites are selling Magic Boom Bars online. Specifically, some Canadian websites are selling these chocolates. While selling shrooms may not be totally legal in Canada, some brave souls have previously gone on record stating they’d sell psychedelic mushroom products online by using the old gray-market cannabis dispensary model. Also, Canada’s laws around psychedelics (and drugs, in general) are vastly different from US policy. While psychedelic mushrooms are still illegal in Canada, getting caught for selling psilocybin won’t land you in jail for 20 years. You’ll just get harassed by Health Canada.
Magic Boom Bars also has an Instagram account. The account doesn’t feature much content, though it does have a video hyping the supposed shroom products. The Instagram account claims in its bio that it does not sell product, and that it is based in Los Angeles, California, not Canada. So, that’s odd.
What’s the Magic Ingredient in Magic Shrooms?
Psilocybin is the alkaloid found in the Psilocybe genus of wild mushrooms (nicknamed “magic” mushrooms) that, when ingested, creates a psychoactive experience or hallucinogenic “trip.” Scientists believe psilocybin (or, more accurately, its metabolite psilocin) interacts with the serotonin receptors in the nervous system (more specifically the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for the regulation of mood, cognition, and perception) to produce feelings of happiness, euphoria, sensory distortion, and depending on the strength of the dose, both audio and visual hallucinations. Also, depending on the dose, these effects can last anywhere from 4 to 8 hours to — in rarer and more extreme cases — several days.
Additionally, psilocybin is not the only hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms. Psilocin and baeocystin are “siblings” of psilocybin, and they may boost the potency of the psychoactive experience.
Technically, psilocybin in all forms is considered a Schedule I controlled substance, making it illegal in most U.S. states. Unfortunately, much like marijuana, magic mushrooms have had a long and tumultuous history full of misconceptions, misunderstandings, and negative, untrue stereotypes.
Are Magic Boom Bars Even Legal?
Assuming Magic Boom Bars actually contain psilocybin mushrooms — no, they are not legal, even in places where psychedelic mushrooms are decriminalized. While this story is specifically about Magic Boom Bars and not the legality of mushrooms, please, PLEASE educate yourself on the differences between “legalization” and “decriminalization.” They are not the same.
Despite its Schedule I status, places like Oakland, California, and Denver, Colorado have passed legislation decriminalizing the personal possession of shrooms in relatively small amounts. In 2020, Oregon became the first state in America to decriminalize possession of psychedelic mushrooms (along with all other drugs). There’s also a limited pilot medical program for shrooms in Oregon.
But even in cities and states where psilocybin is decriminalized, the sale of psilocybin and psychedelic shrooms is still banned. So, if you live in Oakland, Denver, or Oregon, and you’re caught buying or selling Magic Boom Bars, you could face serious criminal charges. If you’re sloppy enough to order them online with a credit card attached to your legal name and sent to your registered mailing address, you’re basically giving the police all the evidence they need to slam you in court.
If you live in a decriminalized locale, stay within the limits of the law. Many of these enlightened cities and states will allow adults 21 and over to cultivate their own shrooms, so long as they’re not sold and you keep your possession amounts under the legal limits.
