Torsten Posted July 23, 2005 Mushrooms seized under new powers Police officers in Edinburgh and Glasgow have used new legal powers to seize magic mushrooms. Lothian and Borders Police found half a kilo of the product during raids on two shops in Southside and Tollcross. Strathclyde officers seized mushrooms worth £6,000 after searching a house in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire. The fungi, which contain the psychedelic chemical psilocybin, has been reclassified by the UK Government as a Class A drug. A Lothian and Borders Police spokeswoman said that most shop owners selling psilocybin products were aware of the change in the law. She added: "Up until recently there were a number of shops in Edinburgh that imported and sold magic mushrooms. Hallucinogenic effect "Following government reclassification magic mushrooms became a Class A drug and for people to possess or sell them will now be a criminal offence." The Drugs Act 2005 closed a loophole in which fresh magic mushrooms were legal but those which were dried or prepared for use were not. On Tuesday evening Strathclyde officers searched a house and recovered a haul of mushrooms. A 33-year-old man will be reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with the incident. The mushrooms are usually eaten raw or dried out and can produce a hallucinogenic effect similar to LSD. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scot...and/4699343.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted July 23, 2005 but Scotland not happy about the new laws: Magic mushroom ban 'too strong' A Scottish drugs advice service has questioned the decision to reclassify magic mushrooms as class A drugs. The Drugs Act 2005 has closed a loophole which had previously only banned the prepared form of the hallucinogenic Liberty Cap fungi. It is estimated that up to one in five 16-year-olds in Scotland have tried magic mushrooms. But drugs service Crew 2000 said it was "nuts" to categorise them alongside heroin, crack and cocaine. Spokesman John Arthur said: "I think we are seeing laws passed in this country through ignorance. Harm fears "There is no way you could classify the effects of magic mushrooms the same as those of heroin, cocaine, etc - I think it's nuts." Information body Drugscope said the government did need to clarify the law on magic mushrooms but should not have made them class A. It said that from more than 12,600 people presenting problems to drug agencies in Scotland in 2004, only 30 had used hallucinogenics in the previous month. DRUG EXPERIMENTATION BY SCOTTISH 15-YEAR-OLDS Cannabis: 28% Ecstasy: 3% Amphetamines: 3% Magic mushrooms: 2% Cocaine: 2% Heroin: 1% SOURCE: Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey 2004 But Drugscope said local surveys suggested that young people in Scotland and Wales were more likely to have taken magic mushrooms. Its website says: "In Scotland, for example, one in five 16-year-olds will have typically tried them." Under Clause 21 of the Drugs Act 2005, it is now an offence to import, export, produce, supply, possess or possess with intent to supply magic mushrooms, including in the form of grow kits. Home Office Minister Paul Goggins said: "Magic mushrooms are a powerful hallucinogen and can cause real harm, especially to vulnerable people and those with mental health problems." The ban covers mushrooms containing the hallucinogen psilocybin but does not affect the much more rarely used magic mushroom Fly Agaric. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/scot...and/4693761.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
