Pot times July 18, 2005
Trip Is Over For Magic Mushrooms
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1136/a05.htmlNewshawk: Herb
Pubdate: Mon, 18 Jul 2005 TRIP IS OVER FOR MAGIC MUSHROOMS
Source: Herald, The (UK)
Copyright: 2005 The Herald
Contact:
letters@theherald.co.uk
Website: http://www.theherald.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/189
Author: Allan Laing
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hallucinogens.htm
(Hallucinogens)
FOR a tobacconist, Alan Myerthall sells an awful lot of mushrooms.
But no longer. From today, his particular brand of fungi is deemed
illegal. Were he to continue trading then he could -- and very possibly
would -- be jailed as a drug pusher.
So it is back to baccy, fags and cigars for the owner of the Pipe Shop in
Edinburgh. For the magic mushroom, the trip is finally over.
From today, the government has reclassified the psilocybin mushroom as a class A
drug, putting it alongside heroin, crack and cocaine. This is bad news for
fans of the fungi, many of whom are ageing hippies who first sampled the
hallucinogenic qualities of the "shroom" back in the 1960s and the
Summer of Love.
Now the importation, possession or sale of the substance will be punishable by
law. Possession can result in seven years in jail, while possession with
intent to supply could, in extreme cases, result in a life sentence.
The only exception will be wild mushrooms growing on uncultivated land.
Magic mushrooms, which are in season in September and October, are common
throughout rural Scotland.
The move to reclassify has depressed some people.
Mr Myerthall said: "It's taking a hammer to crack an egg. We've been
selling them for two years. Our customers cover a broad spectrum --
students, lawyers, accountants, even doctors.
"We sold the last of our stock at the weekend.
"It will be a loss. We got most of our mushrooms imported from
Holland, where they're grown. We've built up quite a trade and the
government's been getting VAT on the sales. What will happen now is that
the trade will go to the dealers and, obviously, they are not as scrupulous as
us."
He added: "When I started up in the tobacco trade, I never envisaged that
I'd end up selling mushrooms but now, with the smoking ban coming next March,
things will only get more difficult. It's the goody-goodies who are
running the show."
For some time, magic mushrooms, which the Aztecs called "the flesh of the
gods", have been illegal when dried or otherwise prepared. The new
law extends the ban to cover them in their fresh state.
However, there is considerable dubiety over the adverse effects of magic
mushroom consumption. Some experts believe them to be potentially
dangerous, saying that, while hallucinations are usually short-term, they can
cause sudden flashbacks. This, in turn, can result in accidents.
Magic mushrooms, small and tan in colour, cause similar effects to LSD, and
trips can last as long as eight hours, depending on the quantity consumed.
They cost about AUKP5 for a bag of 30 and people usually take between one and
five grams at a time. They are usually eaten raw. There is currently
no significant black market for the fungi, although some observers argue that
this could change now that the raw version has been outlawed.
The magic mushroom problem in Scotland is not considered to be particularly
significant, according to drug agencies.
James Egan, of the Scottish Drugs Forum, which concentrates its efforts on the
country's 50,000 hard drug users, said the scale of the fungi problem was
illustrated by figures which showed that, in the year ending March 2004, a total
of 12,657 new people contacted Scotland's various drug agencies.
Only 30 of them mentioned having problems with hallucinogenics, which would have
included magic mushrooms.
The government's own Talk to Frank drugs helpline states on its website that
magic mushrooms are not addictive.
The reclassification was described as "pointless" by Kevin Williamson,
co-founder of Rebel Inc publishing, the former drugs spokesman for the Scottish
Socialist Party and the man who last year tried to open a cannabis cafe in
Edinburgh.
He said: "These things grow all over Scotland. I don't know how you
could possibly ban them. There are no drug agencies reporting any problems
with magic mushrooms, no police reporting any social problems.
"It's just part of the authoritarian clampdown. It's a piece of
nonsense and a waste of time. People can just go out, pick them, take them
home and use them."
