Slowly but surely, the legal psilocybin market is continuing to take shape. Namely, Optimi Health Corp., a homegrown, Canadian company producing natural, scalable and accessible mushroom formulations meant for “transformational human experiences,” are taking a leap forward toward commercialization; the company announced its first grow of psilocybin mushrooms along with its new head of cultivation in a GlobeNewswire release on Thursday.
The company is in a leading position in the emerging, scalable mushroom cultivation industry, combining its vast availability of genetics along with a recent amendment to Health Canada’s Dealer’s License, which enabled it to further expand its production capacity. Optimi is “committed to expert cultivation and quality production,” using the research exemption to further investigate the science of mushrooms within Canadian laws and governing regulations around fungi production.
Optimi CEO Bill Ciprick said it’s been an “amazing” two-year journey watching the company blossom to where it stands today.
“Having now cultivated our first grow of psilocybin and functional mushrooms to a GMP standard, we are excited to be at full operational capacity and will proceed with domestic and international supply agreements with drug development companies and patients through the Special Access Program (SAP),” Ciprick said.
Ciprick also nodded to Chief Science Officer Justin Kirkland, and the new Head of Cultivation Todd Henderson, in discussing the Optimi’s success.
Henderson is an Alberta-born Metis and takes pride in his Cree heritage. He’s cultivated mushrooms for more than three decades, beginning at age 15 after a summer on the Grouard Reserve near High Prairie Alberta. Henderson was under the instruction of his father’s cousin, learning about the medicine of mushrooms, which helped him to find clarity and wisdom from the Great Spirit, Kitchi Manitou.
“That summer, I was sent home with spore prints as a way to honour my ancestors and pass my knowledge on to a new generation—it is the way of our people,” said Henderson, who supervised the eight-week cultivation process at Optimi’s 20,000 square-foot grow facilities in Princeton, British Columbia.
“We are living in extraordinary times, and I believe the lessons of my father and Edgar serve a bigger purpose in helping all people heal from the mental health crisis we see today,” Henderson added. “I am grateful that Optimi has given me this opportunity to share my knowledge. I am Cree! Neya Nehiyaw.”
Henderson will also give public tours of his work during Optimi’s grand opening celebration on May 27.
Canadian psilocybin therapies could soon follow, as the first patient in Quebec, and one of the very few Canadians to receive such therapies, gained approval from Health Canada for psilocybin therapy earlier this month.
Thomas Hartle told Global News that the treatment helped to combat the end-of-life anxiety and distractions associated with his terminal colon cancer. He describes the feeling before the treatment, feeling overwhelmed by the world around him. By the time the treatment finishes, he said it’s like “you’re still in your car, in traffic, but you have the windows up; the air conditioning is on and it’s quiet. It’s just you and the music.”
Though, he nodded to the therapy element of the procedure, “The therapy part has a capital T in this whole process. It isn’t just taking psychedelics. It’s just a tool in the process; the therapy is crucial to getting a good outcome.”
While we’re still uncovering new findings on the emerging therapeutic practice, a recent study from earlier in May, the “largest randomized, controlled, double-blind study of psilocybin therapy ever completed,” found that psilocybin can offer “significant” improvements to treatment-resistant depression symptoms.
Companies like Optimi, alongside new research and emerging therapeutic practices, are sure to increase as we collectively continue to explore the promising mental health benefits of psilocybin.
