Last Monday, the 18th of July, Magic Mushrooms, whether fresh, dry or prepared, were made a Class A Drug. Previously you had been able to buy and consume them fresh, legally, from over 400 stores in the country. They also grow wild during the autumn in our countryside and can be easily found if you know where to look. They were available legally before due to a loophole in the law that only deemed them illegal if they were prepared and dried.
"The law has not been clear with regard to the status of fresh magic mushrooms and some have tried to exploit this apparent loophole" said Home Office Minister Paul Goggins in a statement.
My local Hydroponics shop had a statement on their wall from the Home Office saying that they had permission to sell fresh shrooms and that it drew people away from more dangerous, illegal drugs. In the last 2-3 years as mushrooms have come more available use of LSD has dropped. Now isn't that a good thing??? I've had two close friends who've been sectioned in mental health hospitals due to excessive use of Acid as well as other drugs. Now that Mushrooms are Class A just like LSD, Heroin and Crack, people will rather take the acid as there are the same legal risks involved.
You could now get locked up for 7 years of your life for picking a few wild mushrooms from a field. Crazy! Where is the logic in that? Who goes out commits crimes while tripping out? When have you ever heard of violence or robbery done by someone high on the fungi? Who the hell even wants to leave the comfort of their home and wander into the general public whilst on a trip? Yeah crack and smack heads commit crimes to feed their addictions, but magic mushrooms are not addictive. So why class them as the same?
"Obviously I would not suggest someone with schizophrenia took magic mushrooms but nor should they probably take alcohol," said Chris Bovey, owner of online retailer Potseeds, based in Totnes, Devon.
"Our customers feel patronised by the government, victimising them for doing something harmless and enjoyable in their own homes, just because they need to sound tough on drugs."
This I totally agree with. Instead of making shrooms totally illegal, they should be properly regulated. But it's all too late now; the government rushed the legislation through and by the time anyone noticed, it was too late. Another little freedom we've had snatched away from us.
Anyone got anything to say about the subject, I’m all ears.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eric Olsen
good argument Minimus, I agree with your position and assessment. Thanks and welcome!
2 - Jones Violet
Shameful.
I didn't even know mushrooms were sold legally in the UK.
3 - Minimus
Well they were sold legally for about 2 1/2 years in over 400 shops untill the government decided to step. My local shop itself sold Columbian, Mexican, Thai, Indian Mushrooms and Philosophers Stones. They were sensibly priced though so no-one abused them, and provided a drug experience without breaking the law or doing harm to others!
Oh well suppose its all in in aid of showing support for the "War on Drugs"
4 - treb0r
Your comments about LSD are naive and well off the mark. Do you beleive that people are less likely to suffer a 'bad trip' from mushrooms?
I think you will find that set and setting are at least as important as your selection of strong psychedelic.
I am a strong believer that entheogens should be used carefully and with great respect to avoid unpleasant experiences, whether you prefer psilocybin or LSD.
5 - gypsyman
When I was young and my interst in these matters was less academic shall we say, as far as we knew magic mushrooms were legal in Canada. The only way you could get into trouble was for tresspassing sneaking into a farmer's field to pick them out of his cow patties, or for selling them. Simply being in possesion was not considered a problem.
I think that loophole was closed long ago. From my experiences with psycedelics I tend to agree with the previous comment, that the whole myth of something guranteeing a safer "trip' because of it being natural is a bit unrealistic.
What you were guarenteed was that it hadn't been mixed with strycnine or any other unpleasent crap that happens to end up in chemical compositions.
I must say that it's a shame that the Blair government seems to be reversing years of enlightend British drug policy. I always used to admire their humane and compasionate attitude towards treating addiction. I hope that at least those attitudes are not changing.
gypsyman
6 - treb0r
Sorry, but I had to point out that strychnine in acid is actually a myth, as a google search will testify. I would also point out that it is relatively common for inexperienced psychonauts to end up picking/taking the wrong fungus and end up in hospital with toadstool poisoning, as has happened to one friend of mine who bought his mushrooms from a guy at a festival. That's not to say the they should be illegal though, just used carefully and with respect...
7 - Pikey King
As you are already probably aware the legal status of Magic mushrooms was changed on July 18th to class A. This means that they are now classified with Heroin, Cocaine, Crack, Ecstacy etc. Speed is class B, Cannabis is C.
There does not seem to be any logic for the change in status apart from the Government being worried about votes. Its certainly not going to help anyone out. I think this change in the law is going to cause more problems and maybe some deaths.
Most government literature states the main danger with Magic Mushrooms is picking the wrong ones. There are many poisonous mushrooms that can kill or make you seriously ill. Selling the mushrooms in this shops took this danger away. Since mushrooms have been legally sold, LSD and ecstasy consumption have reduced.
Be making mushrooms the same class as Heroin etc. the government is saying that you might as well take Crack etc. as these are as bad. Now when youngsters want mushrooms they might pick the wrong ones which could result in a fatality or they will go to a dealer where they will be offered other dangerous narcotics. Surely nobody wants this.
How can the government make a mushroom illegal. Its been part of our history for thousands of years. Druids, Pagans, Shaman etc., have used these in rituals for a long time. Surely this draconian legislation restricts our human rights and religious freedoms. This should be the defense for us.
Sure mushrooms effect your mind and make you think a lot. Most people have a wonderful experience and it can change people for the better. It brings one closer to nature and lets you work out right and wrong and see things in a different light. A minimal amount of people might have a bad trip, but they are the same people who should not drink, smoke or take anything as they usually have a chemical imbalance anyway.
I have personally taken mushroom on many occasions over the past 15 years of my life. I have experienced the most wonderful thoughts and conversations, seen the most fantastic scenery, been at one with nature and felt at peace with myself and the world around me. My creativeness is far greater and my mind is stronger and more understanding than before. Mushrooms have expanded my mind in a good way enabling me to communicate with ease and sense peoples true thoughts and intentions. I run a design and advertising agency and have no problem managing my life. I am not a drug abuser.
I think if its natural, its a gift from god or mother nature of whoever runs this mad universe we live in. How can any government stop a human being eating any natural product they want, whilst in the other they endorse children taking seriously addictive and dangerous anti-depressants that can result in sever depression and Suicide.
I think our politicians need to wake up and realise what's really going on. People into ethno botanicals like myself are no criminals, we are just experimentalist interested in our minds and ancient religious rituals. I don't take class A drugs.
What's next on the governments agenda, will they ban San Pedro cactus or maybe Salvia Divinorum, Canary grass contains DMT and which is illegal but DMT is also contained in thousands of other plants so maybe ban them all. Our brain has DMT naturallyoccurring, Does that mean our brains are illegal. Where do we draw the line? All around us there are thousands of plants that will effect us in someway, whether its coffee, tea, garlic, wild lettuce etc, it just seems that the government don't like the things that affect your mind unless it is endorsed by a major pharmaceutical company with a crap name who pay masses in tax, whilst getting the youth of today more addicted to drugs that anyone else. They now have a drug for shyness! Need I say more.
Lets get these politicians to realise the errors of their ways. We have much power in numbers as there are more of us.
For more information about plants, drugs etc, please visit www.erowid.com
8 - treb0r
There seems to be an idea that taking mushrooms is somehow preferable / safer to taking LSD, because mushrooms grow naturally and LSD does not.
I think that LSD has been victimised unfairly after 30 odd years of negative propaganda. It is an insult to humanity that individuals who wish to experiment are forbidden from experiencing entheogenic substances including LSD, whose discoverer, Albert Hoffman once said:
"I believe that if people would learn to use LSD's vision-inducing capability more wisely, under suitable conditions, in medical practice and in conjunction with meditation, then in the future this problem child could become a wonderchild."
The relationship between LSD and the personal computer revolution is well documented elsewhere and acknowledged by industry leaders such as Steve Jobs. To discount and undermine the potential importance of LSD to humanity would be a tragedy.
treb0r
9 - Minimus
No treb0r i never said and don't think that your less likely to have a "bad trip" on mushrooms than LSD. Personally my worst trip has been off mushrooms. I ate a load at a party when I was drunk and freaked out more than when I’ve had a bad LSD trip. But that was only because I did them at the wrong time and place, surrounded by people i didn't know. A Recipe for disaster. For 2 weeks after that night I wasn't myself and didn't feel comfortable in a room alone.
Of course I know that your setting and company heavily influences the way a trip turns out. I’ve had some amazing nights in company of good friends while doing Acid. But LSD trips are usually more intense and longer lasting as well as more likely to leave long-term psychological problems.
One of my best friends has had a mental breakdown and is now a shadow of his former self who hides away in his house. There are also the 2 brothers I mentioned in my original post that got sectioned under the mental health act for a couple of months each. Luckily they are recovering well but they are now different people. So don't tell I’m naive to the effects of LSD.
Obviously the 3 friends mentioned were reckless in their use of LSD (one at a young age), but they had no one to tell them better at the time.
The point I’m getting to is that when mushrooms here in London became readily available to buy in shops, I noticed a huge drop in LSD use in my area. You could just pop down the shop and know what you were buying for your money, as well as being safe from arrest. And they weren't too cheap either at £10-15 per 10g depending on the type. This stopped people buying too much. Oh and you also had to be over 18 to buy which can't be a bad thing as the young mind is the mostly easily twisted one. The guys working there would always give you advice on what the different types were like as well how much to do and the likely effects.
Pikey King I agree with everything you say. The government have shot themselves in the foot with this one.
10 - Dave Nalle
Out of curiosity, which kind of 'Magic Mushrooms' were people consuming in England before they were made illegal? I know that at least one species of hallucinogenic mushroom that does grow in England is Amanita Muscaria, and unless prepared very carefully it can be extremely toxic.
Dave
11 - treb0r
The fact that your friend has had a nervous breakdown may or may not be attributable to LSD use. The cases you mention are nothing more than anecdotal. All strong psychedelic substances have the potential for unpleasant effects, especially if there are existing psychological problems in the individual concerned. LSD has undergone many laboratory studies and has found to be remarkably safe, if used carefully in the right environment and with respect.
And please tell me how you can 'notice' a huge drop in LSD use in your area? Exactly how do you calculate that statement. I have friends in London who've been taking it regularly for the past 20 odd years...
treb0r
12 - Dave Nalle
"And please tell me how you can 'notice' a huge drop in LSD use in your area?"
Fewer hallucinatory creatures wandering the streets?
Dave
13 - Minumus
Ok my friend who had a mental breakdown did not have it just because he took LSD, but going to squat parties when he was 15 and taking it every week definatly had its long-term effects. He hadn't actually taken it for a few years before his breakdown (or mushrooms), but it was an indirect result of his earlier use of the drug.
One of the brothers I mentioned though got locked up as a direct result of taking too much LSD. He got arrested (for what I can't remember now) and straight away the police thought he was loopy and sent him to the doctors. That trip lasted 1 1/2 weeks and then he had to endure a 2 week comedown.
"LSD has undergone many laboratory studies and has found to be remarkably safe, if used carefully in the right environment and with respect."
Yeah i don’t doubt that at all. And yes my friends who've suffered due to use of the drug were stupid in the way they took it. But when you buy LSD, does it come with instructions, where it was made or its potency on it? No!
You can never REALLY know exactly what you’re taking, unless you’re Albert Hoffman and made it yourself.
See what I’m getting at (here and in my original post) is that mushrooms(and indeed LSD) are far more dangerous to users when illegal and unregulated.
"And please tell me how you can 'notice' a huge drop in LSD use in your area"
Ok I didn’t walk round with a pen and clipboard, doing a survey of people on the street, but LSD use in people of my age group, in my part of London did almost stop completely. 5 years ago it was easily available through local dealers and was common for people to take it at parties (not squat parties). Now no dealers in this area sell it and if you want it you have to go to squat parties in central London.
That’s how I "calculated" that statement. And the reasons I believe for why this happened are
1) The fact that mushrooms were legal and safe to buy.
2) The increase of use and availability of Ketamine. But lets not get started on that.
Oh and remember I was only talking about my area, London is a huge, sprawling city so the situation where your friends live maybe completely different.
14 - treb0r
"See what I'm getting at (here and in my original post) is that mushrooms(and indeed LSD) are far more dangerous to users when illegal and unregulated."
Ok, well then it appears we broadly agree. I was only objecting to a perceived bias against LSD, as I am personally very interested in exploring the reasons why so many people regard it as a negative street drug much like coke and heroin, when in my experience it can be wonderful.
peace!
treb0r
15 - tommyD
Greetings from the US;
For a small group of folks with a very painful coondition known as cluster headache, the criminalization of psilocybin mushrooms is a serious problem.
Psilocybin and related substances, it turns out, are possbibly the best treatments known for the worst headache known to medical science. (Cluster headaches are sometimes called "suicide headaches.")
Psilocybin, along with LSD, LSA and some other less-well-known chemicals, are indole-ring hallucinogens. Natural forms have been used for headache treatment in folk medicine for millennia. Preliminary studies in the 1960's showed LSD as promisingly effective for the tretment of migraines (similar in some ways to cluster headaches - they are both neurovascular headaches).
And a group of cluster headache sufferers has found indole ring hallucinogens will end weeks and months of repeated, intense pain attacks with just a few or several relatively small doses of shrooms. The evidence is anecdotal and unscientific, but compelling enough to inspire researchers at Harvard Medical School to investigate. A report on case studies is due out later this year. If all goes well, clinical trials could proceed within a few years.
I'm an old fart, left behind the idea of taking hallucinogens for fun years ago. But shrooms have literally saved me - and a couple hundred others - from a world of pain.
These substances are noit to be taken lightly - those with certain pre-existing mental conditions should avoiod hallucinogens. But psilocybin and LSD are surprisingly non-toxic, and we are finding very small, sub-hallucinogenic doses can be effective in treating cluster headache.
For more info see: ClusterBusters or Maps.org.
These is also an article on this in the 2 August edition of The Guardian.
Thanks for listening.
16 - HotWireD
I have been using magic mushrooms (Welsh ones) for 25 years, twice a year on Auspicious days. I have never recommended them to a living soul, never sold them, or 'pushed' them. Now, if I continue to use them (for meditation and 'religious' purposes) I am to be classed with crack dealers and heroin pushers? A potential seven year prison sentence for practicing my faith & philosophy? When are the government going to bring back imprisoning witches? Are some other religions to be banned as well? I have done my very best all my life to be a kind, accepting person. I was taught to accept that all people have the right to believe what they wish and practice their religion without hindrance from any others. I have supported the Law (twenty-plus years employed by the Home Office and Police Authorities) given 110% every time I have helped another, and now I am to be persecuted by the very government I have spent my whole life supporting. So much for being a free country. I am completely at a loss as to what my life has all been about. I suppose All Religions are Equal, except some are more equal than others (sic).
Am I taking the persecution of my religion too seriously?
17 - HotWireD
Pikey King basically states everything that I have been thinking in a much more clear and sane manner than I can right at the moment, I have been funing for weeks.
"I think our politicians need to wake up and realise what's really going on. People into ethno botanicals like myself are no criminals, we are just experimentalist interested in our minds and ancient religious rituals. I don't take class A drugs." Unfortunately, if we continue to experiment, we are taking class A drugs (Now).
18 - pete
You people are making me drool with all this LSD talk. Since the US's main dudes got popped in Kansas. It has vanished in the USA. It got hard after the Dead stopped touring, but absolutely disappeared when Pickard got popped.
Can you confirm London has acid?
19 - Cerulean
When law enforcement succeeded in decimating the considerable pot supply where I live, the use of ice exploded, spawning a host of evils that boggle the mind. That falls in line with what the person said about LSD consumption going up when mushrooms were outlawed. We have a lot of people now who want oblivion and don't seem to understand moderation or even seek joy in their use of substances.
No one saw the pot/ice switch coming where I live. I'll wager that everyone who made that happen would go back in an instant.
Personally, I'm against drugs, but I'm also not a fan of some anti-drug policies. They have to be done so carefully, so it seems.
I grew up in the seventies and from what I've seen there are just too many bad things coming from drugs and not enough good things. Every drug sees some people seriously effected in a negative way. Even marajuana, on the whole has done my harm than good from what I've seen, even though many people who are into it are sweet.
20 - northlondonhippy
In a world of stupid and pointless legislation, this particular bit new law is incredibly stupid. Who were we hurting? Not even ourselves.
I used to bill myself as "the most shroomtastic stoner on the internet", but no more. Thank you British government!
21 - jutt
if you need to buy some drugs, find an MP`s son/daughter. They always get let off and enough of them in our age brackets get cained on drugs.
labour banned shrooms to look tuff on drugs after atleast three MP`S kids have been caught breaking the law in the last few years. It`s a shame they were`nt charged like any one else would be.
22 - lousia
well i dont know about you guys but i wouldnt say no to some shrooms right now.
no idea why they were made legal, sound svery stupid to me.
Shrooms are amazing and magical, and should be done (in the right circumstances) as life's too short to worry about never trying unharmful ways of fun and experiencing new life.
23 - londan
never fear, shrooms are still here.
24 - london
i'm so high i can't even spell london right.
25 - hector Gonzalez
to the gov.:
dont make me be a criminal
if you make shrooms illegal I might as well go back to crack, heroin, and acid.
if i save up enough money after I turn into an addict again even coke
you and me are lucky i still got shrooms saved up in my closet right now so i wont have to start bad so fast