Netherlands bans magic mushrooms
Trey says: "The Netherlands are banning the sale of 'magic mushrooms' after a French woman died from jumping off a building after taking them."
LinkCalls for a re-evaluation of the drug grew after a 17-year-old French girl jumped from a building after eating magic mushrooms during a school trip to Amsterdam in March.
Other incidents involving the drug have included an Icelandic tourist jumping from a balcony and breaking both legs and a Danish tourist driving his car wildly through a camping ground, narrowly missing sleeping campers.
"It's a shame, the media really blew this up into a big issue," said Chloe Collette, owner of the FullMoon shop, which sells magic mushrooms in Amsterdam.
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Quite a shame. Having just come from the Netherlands a few weeks ago, I was surprised and impressed by the maturity and sanity applied to their drug policy. At licensed smart-shops, they provided good, cautious and informed advice to would-be-psychenaughts. A shame that some well-publicized incidents ruined it for the countless people that were able to obtain a quality product from known producers under controlled conditions.
There was also some talk of imposing a three-day cooldown period between buying the mushrooms and actually getting them. This should help reduce the risk of thrillseeking tourists doing stupid stuff while on schrooms (and drunk and stoned at the same time).
Makes sense to me, but our backwards fundamentalist christian government did not take the time to think the whole thing through and just banned them alltogether. (Heh. Maybe we should have a mandatory cooldown period for passing new laws too..)
Way to harsh my mellow! My millennium in Amsterdam would not have been the incredible experience it was without the 'shrooms. Bummer.
But I gotta wonder why fullmoonshop.nl is showing a pic of Amanita muscaria on their site - Amanita is poisonous, though admittedly very mind-altering.
How many people have died or killed others because they were drunk in the Netherlands in the last year?
Sigh.
211234434, it only felt like you were there for a millenium.
211234434 "My millennium in Amsterdam..."
You spent a thousand years in Amsterdam?
Sadly, reasonable and intelligent people whom this affects will probably do nothing about this. Either there aren't enough people who care to fix things or the government isn't listening. hmmm. What do ya'll think?
I think most people are idiots, so it doesn't surprise me that a dumb law like this'd be passed.
Too bad the photo for this entry shows a poisonous mushroom, rather than my friend the Psilocybe.
This must be one of the great all-time juxtapositions in journalism:
"..a Danish tourist driving his car wildly through a camping ground, narrowly missing sleeping campers. 'It's a shame, the media really blew this up into a big issue,' said Chloe Collette."
let's just hope nobody does anything life-threatening after the ingest alcohol
I've been periodically ingesting all manner of psychedelic and hallucinogentic substances for close to 35 years. Occasionally, at "Heroic Doses" (thanks, T.McK!)
I NEVER once did any of the stupid crap of the type that always gets spotlighted when the legislators feel the need to clamp down.
I sure can't say the same thing about the many times I acted like a galaxy-class jackass from consuming alcohol.
Most current drug laws are antiquated, detrimental to society at large, and only serve to put otherwise law-abiding citizens in jail and make a certain class of criminals a WHOLE lot richer. Did the U.S. government learn NOTHING from alcohol prohibition?
When I volunteered at a food coop people who
obviously didn't cook would come in and buy
certain kinds of dried mushrooms to resell
as fake psychedelic mushrooms. I always
liked to ask those guys how they planned
on cooking them.
I had one disappointing and one great
experience with them, but I'm hesitant
to buy them again because I'd have no
guarantee that they are authentic.
It would be better to buy them from a
legal, above ground business.
I'm sure the new legislation will stop people
from doing stupid things under the influence
of mood altering substances.
i have also just returned from the netherlands and having the magic mushrooms definitely made the entire experience more memorable. interesting that they have only banned magic mushrooms and not peyote as well. i suppose i must plan my second trip asap before that is banned since i wasn't able to indulge in that during my last holiday.
You can (well, could) charge mushrooms to a credit card in Amsterdam. That is (was) so cool.
Sigh... the passing of an age.
Seeing how they grow wild, psilocybin mushrooms can never be "banned." Just criminalized.
gonna have to quote bill hicks twice here folks...
the first is an approximate quote:
"if you are high on acid or anything else, and you think you can fly... do us all a favor and try taking off from the ground..."
the second is actual. it's about marijuana, but you can just as easily substitute shrooms here:
“Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit … paranoid? You know what I mean? It’s nature. How do you make nature against the fucking law? It grows everywhere. Serves a thousand different functions, all of them positive. To make marijuana against the law is like saying God made a mistake. You know what I mean? It’s like God, on the seventh day, looking down on his creation:
‘There it is, my creation, perfect and holy in all ways. Now, I can rest …’
Oh my me! I left fucking pot everywhere. I never should have smoked that joint on the third day. Shit. That was the day I created possums! If I leave pot everywhere, that’s going to give humans the impression they’re supposed to USE it. Now I have to create Republicans!”
AND IN somewhat good news, a somewhat positive article on entheogens in a mainstream press: http://www.maps.org/sys/nq.pl?id=1278
AND A big thank you to everyone who pointed out the insane hypocrisy of supporting an alcoholic paradigm with it's extremely violent and unhealthy nature while demonizing psychedelics with it's extremely peaceful and relatively healthy nature.
Good, because making a drug illegal makes sure no one ever does it again. Look how well it's worked for marijuana in the U.S.!
I lived there for a year. I decided while being there that the legalized soft drug policy was a necessary step to combat the horrible weather and complete lack of culinary skills. Deep fried organ meat and a glass of milk anyone? You have to be high.
But seriously, it's a shame that they are stepping backwards, I had one one of the best nights of my life on mushrooms there with no harm done. Glad I got in under the wire.
Sadly, reasonable and intelligent people whom this affects will probably do nothing about this. Either there aren't enough people who care to fix things or the government isn't listening. hmmm. What do ya'll think?
Yeah, it's a wonder that every reasonable, intelligent person in the Netherlands--nay, the world-- doesn't immediately turn their attention to the legal status of 'shrooms. I mean, seriously, it's hard to think of a more pressing issue today than the legal status of 'shrooms. I know, for my part, that I will shed a tear for all the British weekenders and American students whose already-bleak lives will be made so much harder by this tyrannical law.
While the Netherlands stand out as being a prominent example of embracing cultural diversity it is sad to see them bend to the will of those who wield ignorance against an endangered minority. One more pen stroke to tarnish a few unlucky lives and put pressure on some forms of lifestyle that date back to human being's earliest days and cultural origins. Unfortunately such actions take place on all levels in the world beyond even the taboos of some nature's utilization: people using lies to control and manipulate others for selfish purposes. Well, the world and people within it often seem to be on autopilot. Evidence overwhelming supports the notion that substances such as those contained in these mushrooms help a person to stop and smell the flowers, or otherwise open up to appreciating the full spectrum of a life. It's much better for some people that more people never get the chance to stop and realize how beautiful life can be.
This has been a subject of media and political discussion over here in the Netherlands for some time now and I am really saddened that yet one more of my reasons to be proud of my nationality and country will be taken away. Banning mushrooms will only drive them into the criminal realm of XTC and cocaine, which will just exempt them from taxes and make acquiring them a lot more dangerous than using them ever was.
I advise smart shop owners to stock up on shrooms as long as they can, they can expect a surge in customer interest in the next few months. I at least know that I, as a casual soft-drug user will be taking advantage of my freedom and rights once more, for old time’s sake.
What we can learn from both the post and the comments is that the Netherlands have a drug-tourism problem. In other words: we (yes, I'm Dutch and I don't eat deep-fried organs) are in need of stricter drug laws because of the enormous amounts of tourists coming over. The number of magic mushroom related incidents concerning locals is zero. Also, the number of incidents outside of Amsterdam is next to nothing.
I too voice for a progressive drug-policy but it would help if other countries would adapt a similar policy. Because most of the problems with drug-tourism stem from inexperience with either the drugs themselves or the policy. So instead of flaming the Dutch for overly reacting to tourist casualties, you could in your comments also point out the limits of your respective country's own drug policy AND the problems this is handing the Netherlands.
And just how many alcohol related deaths are there in Amsterdam per year (including car accidents etc...)?
So if she'd read the bible just before jumping I suppose they would have made that illegal too. No?
Well, let's just hope that if they're going to make it illegal that they do so much the same way that they've made marijuanna illegal to sell in quantity even though it obviously is being sold commercially to supply the cafes. See, laws are fine if we simply reserve them for times we need them instead of using them as some sorta ugly stick to beat the populace into submission. As for the suicidal girl...I think it's against the law to jump off of bridges with the purpose of killing oneself, yes?
Sorry to be unfashionable, but I have to say that drugs like this really do have a very negative impact on the lives of many people - it's not just the media 'blowing it up into a big issue'. I lost a friend who ran into the sea under the influence of magic mushrooms and was drowned. Another friend, whose use of drugs started with relatively mild substances such as weed, died of a heroin overdose. I know two people who's lives have been ruined by cannabis-induced psychosis, all because they were users of a 'harmless' substance. A friend who works for the Social Services in the UK knows of many, many more such cases.
So forgive me if I'm not impressed by all this nonsense about 'endangered minorities' and people who will 'never get the chance to stop and realize how beautiful life can be' (what utter bilge!) --- are people really going to argue that their 'freedom' to indulge in a bit of mild drug use in Amsterdam is more important than the life of, say, the schoolgirl mentioned in this article?
Stupid people are going to do stupid things. You can't blame stupid actions on drugs, but you can blame stupid actions on stupid people.
There are millions who have and continue to "experiment" with drugs and continue living perfectly respectable and "sane" lives.
Call my opinion crass if you wish. It is sad that people die, but it's also inevitable.
I honestly feel this is an issue of civil liberties that the government picks and chooses what they want to enforce due to pressure (read: dollars) placed on it by corporations.
Zonderling's got a point. The disparity in drug laws makes Amsterdam a drug tourism destination. Tourists are clueless under any circumstances. First-time drug users are pretty clueless too. Tripping alone or in an unfamiliar environment is always dicey, and it's worse when the person doing the tripping isn't used to coping with major hallucinogens. Psilocybin is a big, powerful drug.
This law isn't about drugs being evil; it's about stupid, vulnerable, disorderly tourist behavior.
The comparison with alcohol remains valid: it takes a while to learn civilized and responsible drinking habits, too.
"The comparison with alcohol remains valid: it takes a while to learn civilized and responsible drinking habits, too."
Gotta admit I occasionally feel like I'm still working on that one! :P
Firstly, the photo is most likely Psilocybe azurescens, one of the most potent "magic mushrooms", or a related species...note the blue colour on the stem.
As a long-term user of natural psychedelics, i think they should never be sold out of shops, with or without "good info".
Mushrooms are NOT the fun product the Dutch head shop businessmen tried to promote. Of course they CAN be LOTS of fun, but that's not what they're for - as anyone who's had a "bad trip" will tell you. These are "shamanic" sacraments for initiation and "shamanic" work. This is serious stuff that should be kept underground- for many reasons. The commercial atittude of the Dutch when it comes to sacraments is disgraceful .
In this context, i agree with the Dutch government's decision . These things should not be openly available to anyone - and the age of the "consumer" (ugh) isn't the most important consideration.
But it's not such a big deal as serious mushroom users never bought them from these shops with their ridiculous prices and commercial approach. Indeed , there are ENDLESS AMOUNTS of them to be had every year for absolutely no money, if you know where to go!
Thanks to boingboing crew for opening up the site to public discussion!
#27, mscot: I don't understand the argument that corporations would pressure the government to keep drugs illegal, when the profits to them if drugs were legalized would be so enormous. RJ Reynolds and Pfizer, I am sure, would be only too happy to farm and mass-produce whatever mushroom or herb was legalized and apply their marketing muscle to make it as popular as they possibly can.
Crash, from my readingson the history of Marijuana and i've heard that the tobacco industry pushed for it's criminalization. This combined with a backlash against Mexican migrant workers during the depression lead to our current status.
Tobacco and Alcohol corporations are just as powerful as big pharm and big pharm is plenty happy ripping off the elderly. They don't need to push for decriminalization b/c they know the govt will play their game and allow them so much leeway with their regular "product" that they don't need to make a stink about decriminalization.
Just my paranoid opinions. ;)
Why must they crush all my dreams?
Now I have a reason to hate the French...
Sounds to me like Dutch politicians exploiting the anti "drug tourism" sentiment shared by many of the locals.
One more blow to enlightenment in the world. Damn.
According to the AP story, Ms Caroff had a previous history of psychological problems.
Ms Collette claims that the tourists involved in the other incidents had taken alcohol in addition to mushrooms, against the advice of the mushroom vendors.
I've spent quite a bit of time in the Netherlands over the past ten years, and I have to agree with the local point of view that there is a drug tourism issue there, especially in the Red Light in Amsterdam. I'm all for people responsibly using drugs, but that isn't where the problem lies. It's when you get these juiced up American college kids fresh off the plane, who just start taking mushrooms, 2CB, smoking good weed for the first time and just losing it. I've personally witnessed young, tripping college kids throwing bikes into the canals, smashing windows for no good reason, and generally acting like base poltroons. I would be pissed if folks came to my city and starting making a mess of it.
Really, mushrooms aren't for everyone. Even Terence McKenna has had his share of total bug outs. They are especially not for 17 year old kids with mental problems in a city where they don't live, and are going about unsupervised. It really boils down to personal responsibility, and we all know that is sorely lacking in many folks.
As an aside, there are many psychedelic mushrooms you can get in the Netherlands at the Smart Shops. The psylocybin is just one type, which give you one type of trip. They also sell some mushrooms which don't contain psylocybin, but cause you to 'trip' because they are poisonous enough to cause changes in your body, but not toxic enough to kill you in a small dose.
My own experience of (harvested) magic mushrooms is that they caused mild visual disturbances rather than major hallucinations. It was almost like they did two things. 1) removed some of the filtering that your brain does so you see everyday visual disturbances that you usually can't and 2) limited your ability to focus on anything but those visual disturbances. As I write, it sounds almost like it was a day-trip into Asperger's. There's a fascinating idea. :)
According to my dad, who is dutch, the only people who really used shrooms in Amsterdam were the foreigners.
So, this rule doesn't really affect the Dutch, and there's not much opposition to it.
Oh dammit - the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,2190253,00.html
NEARLY managed to say that mushroom production was going underground.....
Drugs are bad ... umkaayy?
Just like I don't drink liquor, some mind-altering substances are not for everyone.
So before making Scotch, and Brandy illegal because you can die from alcohol poisoning, we should make natural intoxicants illegal because one out of 100,000 people will actually jump off a roof because they think they have gained the ability to fly.
This sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
Way to go Netherlands! At least the sex shops are still open!
Amsterdam's new tag line:
"Get drunk and high, and then have sex with one of our random women, but you better not eat that mushroom"
This is exactly what happened in dublin (ireland), a man jumped to his death from a third-floor balcony after consuming magic mushrooms he had bought legally (from the Hemp Store on Capel Street in Dublin). Later shrooms were banned in ireland.
Don't think its a wise idea to ban 'em, forcing "taboo" label on them, there are fatal accidents involving alcohol too, what about banning alcohol?
@ #26 : ROFL! Thanks for the laugh...oh wait, you were serious! Marijuana induced psychosis? marijuana as a gateway to heroin? Welcome to the 1980's!