THE Netherlands will ban the sale and cultivation of all hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms from next week, the latest target of a country seeking to shed its "anything goes" image.
The Dutch government proposed the ban in April, citing the dangerous behavioural effects of magic mushrooms following the death of a French teenager who jumped from a city bridge in 2007 after consuming the hallucinogenic fungus.
"The use of magi
c mushrooms has hallucinogenic effects," said the Dutch Health Ministry. "It is proved this can lead to unpredictable and risky behaviour."
Amsterdam emergency services' figures show there were 55 call-outs for mushroom-related incidents in 2004, a figure which more than doubled by 2006 to 128, with most youngsters involved coming from Britain.
A challenge to the ban was rejected by a court in The Hague on Friday. From 1 December, the production or sale of fresh magic mushrooms could lead to a maximum jail sentence of four years. "We are targeting the growers and shops who are selling the mushrooms," a spokesman for the Dutch Justice Ministry said.
The active ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin. Effects last up to about six hours and can include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness and drowsiness. The psychological consequences of psilocybin use include hallucinations and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. Panic reactions and psychosis also may occur.
Some proponents of magic mushrooms say their use aids spiritual awareness, gaining personal insight and meditation.
Selling dried magic mushrooms is already illegal in Holland and carries a maximum jail sentence of eight years, but from next week a new ban will apply to fresh mushrooms previously sold in so-called "smart shops".
Staff in stores stock mushrooms, or "paddos", ranging from Thai to Hawaiian varieties for about 15 a pack, said the ban will put users at greater risk. "People will just go picking in the forest, and that can be dangerous," said David Henriks from the Tatanka shop. "Or they will go to street dealers."
The Dutch association of smart shops (VLOS) had promising tighter self-regulation and noted that most mushroom-related incidents involved young tourists mixing mushrooms with alcohol and cannabis.
"We have had a whole series of bans, and people have had enough," said Paul van Oyen from the VLOS, adding that he would advise the board of the association to launch an appeal.
FACT BOX
"MAGIC" mushrooms' main hallucinogenic substance is psilocybin. Effects normally last up to six hours and can include nausea and drowsiness soon after consumption, distortion of senses and thoughts, visual hallucinations, intense emotions and anxiety.
They were used for centuries in Africa and in Central and South America, particularly in religious rituals, and became a popular recreational drug in the 1960s psychedelic movement.
