Posted by annemarie (212.238.33.13) on October 02, 2000 at 14:48:41:
Just thought I'd let you know.
While it is true that you can walk into a "smart shop" in the Netherlands and get yourself a pocketful of shrooms, or "paddo's", the sale is not exactly legal. Or illegal. The Justice Dept. has a problem here, for though the shrooms are not banned, the active substances, psylocibine en psylocine, are high on the forbidden substances list.
Justice has therefore started a "trial" trial to
determine whether they can ban the sale of dried mushrooms and the drying of fresh ones.
The Health Dept., on the other hand, possesses a report from the committee that judges new drugs - a high powered group, featuring health workers and a professor of toxology. And this report on shrooms stated that shrooms are "not dangerous and not addictive". Furthermore, dealing in shrooms would not incite to crime, the report said.
Justice wanted the report kept a secret because of the trial. A quality newspaper (not a tabloid)
demanded, however, that the report should be made public. As it is now.
Justice will go on trying to get the dried shrooms banned - people in the know say this is to prevent export (and another black mark against the name of our country).
Let's hope they don't find out about other ways of preserving shrooms.
In the mean time, no, I have not taken them yet. In part because I am in remission and I don't need shrooms to chase shadows.
But also because, quite frankly, I am scared.
I admire those people who are trying this new way, and are reporting on it. When the beast comes round again. I may get up enough courage to try it myself.
Keep those reports coming. Maybe you'll be ground breakers for new CH-medication.
Walk in beauty. annemarie