Psychedelics helped him deal with terminal illness anxiety, but getting them was a long, strange trip

Five years after Pete Pearson, 75, was diagnosed with a terminal lung condition, he was experiencing debilitating anxiety and depression known as "end-of-life distress." He wanted to try psilocybin — commonly known as magic mushrooms — to see if it helped. After a lengthy and futile attempt to gain access to the drug legally through Health Canada, Pearson decided this was a trip he needed to take no matter what.