Official introduction

[Salviador]

Hello all, im Brenton, im afraid i started off on the wrong foot with all you undoubtedly wonderful people, (refer to dried and put into gelcaps) . So hopefully this post can be a little less contentious . I would like to know the status on sending out spore prints of illegal-to-consume mushrooms, i would be very interested in starting a collection of spore prints, but dont want to break the law or anything ... can someone please give me the lowdown on legalities involved in mushroom owning etc.

[Torsten]

Spores are legal to own and send as long as there is no intention of growing them (ie keep your growing books in a different location to where you receive spores).

Importing spores is illegal due to quarantine restrictions. There have been quite a few discussions on this forum about that, so do a search. Bottom line is that letters DO get openend sometimes and that anyone busted with them faces $2000 fine per import.

Shrooms growing in your backlawn are not illegal as long as there is no evidence of cultivation (ie if the cowmanure you use for plants happens to pop a few shrooms up, then there is nothing you can do ).

However as soon as you pick them they become a 'prepared drug'.

Growing kits with shrooms growing in them (even if just the mycelium) obviously violate the the law as they show intent to cultivate/prepare a drug. Growing kits designed for culinary shrooms are legal to buy and sell. These don't become illegal until you get some mycelium growth of illegal shrooms.

[ 10. April 2003, 12:34: Message edited by: Torsten ]

[Thelema]

as an addition to T's post i would like to comment on the "intends to use them" approach to spore prints.

The common law in australia states that to be prosecuted for intention one must have taken definitive steps, if not the penultimate step toward committing a crime.

So even if you get caught with a sporeprint with plants and substances of all sort around your house, you will not be convicted of intending to manufacture psilocybe 'shrooms.

However, if you have casing trays and a bag of vermiculite etc> then this could be a cause to convict.

[Thelema]

ARE spores really illegal to import under the customs act? I didn't know that...I'll have to go back to suss it out.

[Torsten]

I never mentioned the customs act in regards t spores. No, the customs act does not apply. The quarantine act does however. if customs applied it wouldn't be a $2000 fine, but rather jail.