Magic mushrooms at €30 for three!

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http://www.munster-express.ie/050930/opinion1.htm

Magic mushrooms at €30 for three!
And talking about drugs, there was a bit of a brouhaha last week when it emerged that hallucinogenic magic mushrooms were openly on sale in a shop in Drogheda.
The mushrooms in question, which have an effect similar to a mild dose of LSD, can be purchased for €30 for a packet of three at the Himalayan shop in the town centre.
Apparently, fresh magic mushrooms are not illegal here but were made a Class A drug in Britain in July of this year.
The owner of the Himalayan shop, Darcy Pettigrew, confirmed to reporters that the mushrooms contained the substance psilocybin which is a banned substance in this country under the Misuse of Drugs Act. But, pointed out Mr. Pettigrew, because they had not been dried, frozen or processed in any way, it was not illegal to sell them.
The magic mushrooms on sale in Drogheda come from Holland where they are specially cultivated and contain a controlled dose of active ingredients.
They are only sold to adults and customers are said to be mainly people in their 20s and 30s.
A spokesman for Drogheda Gardai said, if products containing banned substances were on sale, the matter would have to be investigated. The prosecution might be open to legal argument but, if they felt there were grounds for prosecution, they would present the facts in court.
However, Mr Pettigrew claims he has a letter from the office of the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, confirming the position, dated September 2004. He said the letter stated that, as long as the mushrooms were not processed, they were legal to possess or sell. We shall see what we shall see.