I’ve found multiple friendly employees at vape shops in both Arkansas and Oklahoma, especially in the college cities of course. But that might be a productive avenue that’s worth trying out.

Best of luck from an ally not too far away!

As a former recreational user of many substances(not LSD though), I understand your hesitancy. I had many great experiences on shrooms so I tend to recommend that before LSD. I just think it’s not as intense and has a lower probability of negative interactions or experiences, but that’s just based on what I’ve seen/heard/read. There are knock off versions of shrooms in vape shops but I have no idea what they are like.

While I can concede your point that it’s feasible and possibly even more practical to open from the stem, I gotta say that since switching to the other end years ago(because I saw a similar thread on reddit), it’s been super easy and I’ve had zero issues. The stem just has a higher rate of fucking up, but it’s not like either end will fully decimate the banana. Peeling properly after it’s opened is an easy fix either way.