The Dutch devolve.
We here in Massachusetts smugly think we're so enlightened because we recently reduced the penalty for small amounts of marijuana to a hundred dollar fine, even though it actually didn't go far enough. But at least we're going in the right direction. The Dutch were once so hip to the stupidity of trying to control drugs by passing laws against them that even psychedelic mushrooms were legal. Or at least that was true until this month, when a ban promised in October took effect. According to the BBC:
The Dutch government is banning the sale of all magic mushrooms after a series of high-profile incidents involving tourists who had taken them.
The decision will take effect within several months, said a spokesman for the Dutch justice ministry.
A major Dutch producer of the psychedelic mushrooms said he stood to lose millions of euros as a result.
The Netherlands is famed for its liberal drugs policy, with marijuana openly sold in licensed cafes.
Magic mushrooms, more properly known as psilocybe, contain the psychedelic chemicals psilocybin and psilocin.
The ban is partly in result to some embarrassing incidents involving tourists who mixed the mushrooms with alcohol.
Calls 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.
She said all the incidents had involved magic mushrooms in conjunction with other drugs.
A reader from the Netherlands took the following picture of some mushrooms he purchased in anticipation of the ban and now has stored in his refrigerator for future use.
Here's his review of the major brands.
These became illegal the next monday. A shame caused by freaked out cult members and stupid tourists.
The Hawaiians were very strong (i wasn't cheesing my balls off, though) and i forgot to stay hydrated. The Equadorians mostly fizzled due to taking them one day after the Colombians, and produced bad smelling gas. I'd stick to Colombians.
It's insane how horrible drugs like alcohol and nicotine remain freely available while much less harmful substances like magic mushrooms are outlawed.
Here is a card Springfield Police Chief Paula Meara once gave me.
More queer Batman.
At Mystery Train Records in Amherst the other night a guy named Tony who calls himself Crystalline Roses put on a spacey show.
2 comments:
Well...prohibition doesn't "work" if you mean that it will never entirely erradicate the drug. There's a lot to be said for legalizing the softer drugs such as marijuana and shrooms. I still can't stomach the idea of harder drugs--cocaine (powdered and crack), heroin and other opiates--being legal.
The thing with Holland is that its liberal attitudes toward drugs began an entire drug tourism industry. I've been to Amsterdam twice, and it's still a beautiful city...underneath the seedy exterior. The place wasn't always so seedy, but ever since they adopted liberal drug laws it's become a magnet for young tourists (mostly American and English) who go there for the reefer, shrooms, and hookers. These tourists can't even handle doing it in a discreet manner. They shit all over the place.
What was once a beautiful city of churches and canals is now only known for the weed and sex. (The canals and churches are still there, if you want to look for them.)
Oh yes, and although marijuana and mushrooms are tolerated, that does not mean that skeezy drug dealers have been put out of business. I was propositioned a number of times, (once even from a man standing in an alley) to see if I was interested in cocaine or whatever else he had to offer. It was like "Pssst--cocaine? Crack? Speed?"
Consequently, Amsterdam, and Holland as a whole have become synonomous with vice. That's not really the image that they're looking for. The skeeziness of the drug industry didn't go away with toleration.
Anyway, I don't use drugs, so I'm not all that concerned. Whatever the Dutch decide, well...that's just their decision.
BEN DUFFY
socialism is the same thing as liberalism, both of which are mental disorders
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