So apparently there’s a cannabis & psychedelic mushroom vending machine selling products in a Wisconsin mall.

“We checked in with Brookfield police and they say these machines are perfectly legal” says the reporter in the video segment below. “There’s no ordinance in Brookfield governing these types of machines.”

Screw the Terminator, we’re getting the Shroominator instead.

There are multiple locations of these “kiosks” in the area, including at a liquor store and a bar - a very interesting precedent for one potential avenue of the mainstreaming of psychedelics.

“Wanna hit the liquor store for an ounce of cubes, a 12-pack of High Noon Seltzers and some lottery tickets?”

The owner of the kiosk clarifies that the products dispensed are ‘hemp products, which are less than .3 % Delta-9 THC by dry weight ’, which are federally legal thanks to a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill, which stipulates that marijuana does not include hemp.

It’s interesting to note that at no point during the on camera segment or the reporting does anyone reference any kind of ‘psychedelic mushrooms’ - there are multiple frames in the segment where functional mushroom products are shown, such as Pan’s Mushroom Jerky and Far West Fungi Turkey Tail tinctures. The kiosk itself advertises “Legal Cannabis and Mushrooms” - Fox6 News Milwaukee apparently amended the name of the offering to “Cannabis, Psychedelic Mushroom Kiosk” in a bid for heightened attention.

This is a prime example of the role of media in shaping public perception of an issue.

Speaking of Psychedelics in the Media, just crushed a panel on this topic at SXSW in Austin, Texas. For those unfamiliar this is a huge culture and tech conference that as of a few years ago added a dedicated ‘Psychedelics Track’. Some of the big name speakers this year included Seth Rogen, Ben Affleck, IBM CEO Arvand Krishna and tons of other leaders in arts, tech, culture and education.

This was my third consecutive SXSW taking part in the psychedelics track; in 2023 I participated as a journalist and last year I made my debut as a speaker. As such, it’s interesting to note that the buzz and size of the psychedelics track has indeed significantly dwindled over the last few years, mirroring the descending hype on a multinational corporate scale that has seen a reduction in funding events from the billion dollar company valuations of 2021 and virtually guaranteed FDA approval of MDMA in 2024 to half-full rooms and zero significant press coverage of the SXSW psychedelics track in 2025.

Because billion dollar valuations and FDA approval was never what psychedelics were about. The real action is happening outside of the hype bubble. Psychedelics have never been more popular than they are today, and they’ve also never been more out of the hands of the government and corporatocracy.

While pharmaceutical FDA-approved MDMA campaigners harped on for the umpteenth straight year about the future promise of hierarchically sanctioned psychedelics and lamented the setback that last summer’s FDA rejection of the Lykos Therapeutics New Drug Application for MDMA brought, pharmaceutical-grade MDMA was actively circulating Austin and mushrooms were damn near as popular as alcohol at the afterparty circuit.

I personally was rolling deep on Amanita muscaria mushroom capsules from Minnesota Nice Ethnobotanicals all last weekend in Austin. I use Amanita muscaria for deep dreaming and restful purposes rather than a party drug or ceremonial type vehicle personally.

Hit up the online store below and scoop up as much as you can while it’s still completely unregulated and widely accessible in such premium quality as MN Nice is famous for - this mushroom has been used for thousands of years by human cultures, though of course you should absolutely do your own research, reading, and “start low + go slow” with anything you’re not personally familiar with experientially if you decide to pursue a relationship with this mushroom.

It’s simply the obstinacy - and flat out ignorance - of media and regulatory gatekeepers to concede that the revolution will not be pharmaceuticalized and mandated by third parties. The revolution will instead be commercialized - and gifted - in a decentralized format.

You can bang on all you want about the way you think it should be - but reality owes your expectations no justification or closure.

A Cure For Cancer in Mushrooms of Indian Forest?

Super interesting story here about the wild Astaeous asiaticus mushroom commonly found in the forests of Bengal, India, having extremely potent anti-cancer compounds that target and kill cancer cells in humans while sparing healthy ones.

Research has indicated that the bioactive compounds in this mushroom are particularly effective in attacking cervical, breast, and lung cancer cells. This is the type of potentially major development that virtually all mycophile acolytes understand is not only likely, but imminent - and another feather in the cap of the massively untapped potential of mushrooms to support human health and well-being on a global scale.

The Shroom Boom Hits Dallas

These types of mushroom ‘third spaces’ are opening up all over the world. From Culture Shrooms in Long Beach, California to Shrooma cafe in Oswestry, England and many places in between, brick and mortar locations that sell functional mushroom products and which operate as community spaces with education workshops and youth classes are popping up like…well, mushrooms - all over the globe.

This is a further example of why mushrooms are prospering in a decentralized model rather than a patented pharmaceuticalized and corporatized approach. If you can grow oyster mushrooms, you can grow cubensis - or Mexicana, or any other number of psychoactive fungi.

Mushroom Coffee Is Blowing Up

I was on the road a crazy amount last week with jam packed action across the board.

5 flights and 5 cities in 5 days with almost every minute of every day dialed in with some kind of speaking or social engagement. It’s a lot to handle, and drinking coffee helps me stay on top of my energy levels and output. But drinking too much coffee is the worst -

Jitters, shakes, shallow breathing - I can even feel it in my bones when i drink too much coffee. But with mushroom coffee, the reduced caffeine and inclusion of potent functional mushrooms make a huge difference for me energetically. So I travel with my Mycroboost mushroom coffee and get the boost I’m looking for without the negative side effects that come with too much coffee. I still drink a bunch of coffee, but I switch to Mycroboost mushroom coffee after the first cup or two. Trust me, it works. Grab your own bag below and let me know what you think.

Real Mushrooms Wins Major Industry Award

Shoutout to Real Mushrooms CEO Skye Chilton and COO Bill Chioffi on being recognized by the American Herbal Products Association for the Herbal Industry Leadership Award. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to collaborate with the mushroom industry pioneers and leaders Real Mushrooms for over a year, and they have truly been class acts and nothing but supportive while teaching me a tremendous amount about the history of mushroom culture, cultivation and the industry throughout our partnership.

Check out their industry defining work on mushroom supplements for pets here:

 https://www.realmushrooms.com/joint-care-for-dogs/

SIT and Learn

I had a banger of a podcast release last weekend with Valerie from Zendo Project last Friday.

Zendo Project is the world’s premiere harm reduction service at music festivals and events, where they’ve become a major player in ‘Psychedelic Peer Support’ -

If you’re having a challenging trip or need to sit with someone and process things from previous or present experiences, you can hit up the Zendo tent and have trained peer support that helps you ground and navigate whatever’s coming up. They’re launching a 4-week online course in April called SIT that teaches their first principles in psychedelic care and harm reduction among other things. I can’t say enugh good things about Zendo Project, please check them out for yourself here:

And then listen to my podcast with Valerie here:

Mycopreneur Incubator today

We’re holding our weekly ‘incubator’ for mushroom entrepreneurs, researchers, advocates, etc. today. It’s a low-key, cost-free networking and mentorship opportunity. Note that today’s session is an hour later than our usual time.

IYKYK, and if you don’t…just come.

Time: Mar 13, 2025 5:00 PM East Coast U.S., 2:00 PM West Coast U.S.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87121546038?pwd=T7LMZIloQ4QQ58f873hc6sa2wAVbpn.1

Meeting ID: 871 2154 6038 Passcode: 511623

It’s free, but please consider making a financial contribution in the amount fo your choice or inquiring about sponsorship -

Venmo: @mycopreneur

PayPal: [email protected]

Hit me up if you want to send monies via another method.

I’m offering newsletter sponsorship too

Single shoutout or ad placement: $150

Dedicated feature: $300 (more in depth, an advertorial)

Full Newsletter Monthly Sponsorship: $1000 (includes weekly bespoke coverage)

This newsletter reaches a who’s who of industry sources, executives, and journalists, etc. and we can work together on the copy and coverage. Ping me if you want to make an offer on a custom sponsorship package. These rates will change soon 📈

All right, with all that being said…tap in with my functional mushroom chocolate company Mycoday and grab some bars. I just picked up a new personal shipment for myself and I’m tearing through them eating mushroom chocolate for breakfast with this view:

The chocolate is ridiculously good - we formulated the recipe ourselves and then outsourced it to our chocolatier because…well, he’s won like 30 international awards for his craft. The mushroom extracts we use are from one of the most distinguished mushroom cultivation and extraction companies on the planet, Nordic Mushrooms based in Finland. They supply 180 brands on the global market with mushroom extracts, and all of the specs on the extracts are listed on our website: https://www.mycoday.com/

Alrighty then, thanks for dropping by the Mycopreneur Newsletter and see you at the incubator. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it on your social media and forward it to a friend:

And Subscribe here if you aren’t already:

https://mycopreneur.beehiiv.com/

Peace and Love,

DW