Please review: Shrooms & the law

[Alfa]

I've written this text for a new page in the mushroom section of the infopages. www.drugs-forum.com/mushrooms.html Please review it and give your comments:<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><O:P></O:P>


The law on Psilocybe mushrooms is an ongoing international point of debate. In the last decade many western courts and governments have wrestled with the problem that Psilocybe mushrooms have been proven unharmful to public heatlh and to be no treath to public order, while conservative lawmakers would rather ban such controversial drugs.<O:P></O:P>


<O:P></O:P>Most drug laws, exist merely because of the UN drug treaties. The UN convention on psychotropic substances of 1971 http://www.unodc.org/pdf/convention_1971_en.pdf lists the substances psilocin and psilocybin as controlled substances and thus all countries which have signed this treaty, have adapted these substances in their lists of controlled substances. Psilocybe mushrooms where explicitly not scheduled under this UN treaty. The Internatiol Narcotics Conrol board of the UN http://www.incb.org/ , which responsibility is to promote government compliance with the treaties has explained that “As a matter of international law, no plants (natural material) containing psilocine and psilocybin are at present controlled under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of1971.This means that any country which explains the UN convention as controlling Psilocybe mushrooms is in error. Shamefully, many countries act as if they don’t know. Use of magic mushrooms in religious practices is legal practicly worldwide following the UN treaties. Another very interesting point is the universal declaration on human rights: Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Freedom of thought, can be explained as freedom of consciousness. i.e. the right to alter your own thought & consciousness. This would make all personal druguse legal. <O:P></O:P>


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Many countries mix up the substances psilocybin & psilocin with psilocybe mushrooms themselves in their judicial actions. Court rulings of several countries. Especially the courts in Canada talk about confiscated pounds of psilocybin, while no psilocybin has been confiscated at all. Many countries also do not recognise the fact that fresh magic mushrooms contain 85 - 92 % water. This means that aproximately <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficemarttags" /><ST1:METRICCoNVERTER wt="on" ProductID="8 grams">8 grams</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> dry is equal to <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER wt="on" ProductID="100 grams">100 grams</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> fresh psilocybe mushrooms.It makes greatdifference to getsentenced for <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER wt="on" ProductID="100 grams">100 grams</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> or for <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER wt="on" ProductID="8 grams">8 grams</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> of magic mushrooms.<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


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The EU free trade treaties give much hope for the legallity of Psilocybe mushrooms. The treaty means that products which are legal in one EU memberstate, are automaticly legal in all other countries of the EU. Fresh mushrooms are legal in the Netherlands and thus in the rest of the EU. European laws/treaties outrule national law.<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


Because German courts realised that the UN treaties do not ban Psilocybe mushrooms, the German government decided to schedule Psilocybe mushrooms in a new law (1 juli, 2001). The same happened in Switzerland on 31 december 2001 and in Denmark on Juli 1, 2001.<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


On the moment of writing this, the UK has issued a ban of Psilocybe mushrooms. This ban was made on the basis of lies which are easely exposed, as done in these2005-05-07_235719_testimony_from_Professor_David_Nichols_o f_ the_HRI.docletters by Dr. David Nichols from the Heffter research institute www.heffter.org and Rick Doblin from MAPS www.maps.org .<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


Fresh psilocybe mushrooms are legal in the Netherlands. Dried magic mushrooms are legal as long as the magic mushrooms are not actively dried. Experts have testified that there is no way to find out how a mushroom was dried. <O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


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Japan has outlawed the sale of magic mushrooms in Juni 2002 after magic mushrooms sales started booming there.<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


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Here you can find a USA state by state overview of sentences relating to Psilocybe mushrooms. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/for...sp?TID=10733&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1 <O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


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In Canada all psilocybe mushrooms are controlled, trough the Controlled drugs substances act http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/c-38.8/ The CDSA does not list psilocybe mushrooms as a substance, only psilocybin and psilocin. I have found no Canadian laws that apply to magic mushrooms.<O:P></O:P>


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This document is in continue process. All contributions are very welcome and wanted. Please post updates in the Law & order forum. http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/for...asp?FID=30&amp ; ; ; ; ; ;PN=1 <O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


<O:P></O:P>Related documents:<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


EU Cam rapport<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


On the legality of magic mushrooms<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


Swiss psilocin report<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


INCB letters<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


Summary by Dutch Authority of International Legal Status of Psilocybin Mushrooms<O:P></O:P><O:P></O:P>


EU free trade treatyEdited by: Alfa