Yes it’s that time of year again; warm jumpers, electric blankets and magic mushrooms start appearing here and there.
There are many varieties of magic mushrooms out there, 190 to be exact, 9 of which can be found in New Zealand. Know what you are doing; picking the ‘wrong’ kind of mushroom is common and extremely dangerous as the ‘wrong mushrooms’ are often highly toxic and can cause death.
• Mushrooms contain Psilocybin which is an hallucinogenic drug.
• Mushrooms are a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This means that the maximum penalty for possession of mushrooms is 6 months imprisonment and/or $1,000 fine. The maximum penalty for supply (giving it to your mates) is life imprisonment
• Different types of magic mushrooms vary in strength and effect. Things like age, recent rain and soil conditions can make a difference – even mushrooms from the same patch can be more toxic than others. It is therefore impossible to know how much psilocybin you’ve taken and how stoned/wasted you’ll become.
• Sometimes psilocybin can give you an experience that you didn’t anticipate – a bad trip – and that can be very scary. When using ’shrooms ‘Less is More’.
What to expect:
An average trip can last 4-6+ hours though it might seem to last much longer because of psilocybin’s ability to alter the perception of time. The ‘peak’ happens within the first 3–4 hours when users experience a feeling of well-being, ‘hallucinations’ usually in the form of distorted visual perceptions; a loss of touch with reality possibly seeing or hearing things that aren’t actually there; and time, space and body image is distorted.
Other short term effects can include:
Dry mouth, exaggerated reflexes, dilated pupils, blurred vision, confusion, disorientation and possibly agitation, numbness, muscle weakness and twitching, dizziness, nausea and vomiting and fluctuating body temperature.
Food for thought – The safest use is no use.
Helpful links:
[I] Hallucinogens psychedlics_CADS MAY 2015
http://www.welltrust.co.nz/Magic_Mushrooms
http://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/matters-of-substance/about-drug-psilocybin
http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/drugs-and-alcohol/illicit-drugs-offences-and-penalties
Youth Alcohol and Drug Service 