1×1-mushroom gummies-BrianAJackson-getty images Magic mushroom edibles made with Amanita muscaria are on the rise thanks to a legal gray area. Meet the entrepreneurs bringing hallucinogenic treats to a smoke shop—or mailbox—near you.
By Will Yakowicz , Forbes Staff
I n an apartment in Oakland, California , sometime in 2020, Asanka Wickramarachchi and his two brothers were playing around with a recipe for psychoactive mushroom-infused edibles. While psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is federally illegal, the brothers were experimenting with muscimol, a compound extracted from Amanita muscaria—the toadstool with a red cap and white polka dots made famous by a certain mustachioed plumber named Mario.
There are two reasons the Wickramarachchis chose Amanita muscaria: First, it is psychoactive, and, most important, it is not banned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration like other psychedelic drugs. (Only Louisiana has banned Amanita muscaria.)
By 2023, the brothers along with a few other friends launched a brand that produces Amanita muscaria products, aptly named PolkaDot. The Wickramarachchis’ nootropics company, which is headquartered in Hollywood, sells muscimol-infused chocolates and gummies across the United States through their online store and wholesale distributors. PolkaDot’s psychedelic products can be found in more than 5,000 gas stations and smoke shops throughout the U.S., and it also ships its treats to countries such as Mexico and Thailand.
“This is completely legal—more legal than weed,” says the 37-year-old Wickramarachchi, who is the company’s CEO and also runs two cannabis dispensaries in California. “There’s a smoke shop on every corner in the U.S., and people can walk in and have a mushroom experience.” The Tripping Point: “There’s a smoke shop on every corner,," says PolkaDot’s Wickramarachchi, "and people can walk in and have a mushroom experience.” PolkaDot, which sells several million dollars’ worth of products a month, is one of many companies selling Amanita edibles. Thanks in part to the Cali Sober movement—which advocates abstaining from hard drugs and alcohol, but weed and hallucinogens are allowed—this cottage industry has bloomed into a robust gray market of mind-bending “legal high” products. The companies have trippy, hippie names like Galaxy Treats, Fun Guy, […]
A college degree in psychedelics? This SF university makes it reality
A person in a graduation cap and gown is depicted