Why are psilocybin mushrooms Class A illegal? (UK)

Drug policy isn’t very well defined anywhere (as far as I know) but shrooms have an effect which is judged dangerous (to yourself but mostly to other people) because it isn’t understood very well and can in fact lead to out of character behaviour. I haven’t done shrooms (yet) but I would guess marijuana (which I am familiar with) provides a more stable state of mind. You might be different on weed but it’s not a state of mind that will confuse anyone around you, you might just as easily be a little tired.

The governments want to be sure they understand how everyone thinks so they can ensure proper behaviour. Part of this is making sure there aren’t too many substances available so society doesn’t become too complex. Another part of it is making sure the people don’t change faster than they can be predicted which might be part of why alcohol is still legal (and used frequently). Most intelligent people realise alcohol is at least as bad and probably worse than most illigal drugs.

I know the USA tried to make alchohol illigal and then Al Capone strolled in with a dinosaur or something. (What I’m trying to say is I don’t know the details on that one) Still I don’t think there are any goverments even interested in making alcohol illigal anymore. Partly due to the money they’re making off of it and partly due to the fact only drunks (people with no intention of making alcohol illigal) get elected nowadays (by the pro-alcohol voters). That might have been a little ridiculous but my point is they don’t feel like getting involved in drugs they’re not currently on and that’s how the majority of people feel.

The frustrating bit is that all of this makes sense from a democratic point of view. Democracy presumes to represent society, so the opinions of individuals who disagree are simply discarded. Alcohol is the drug of the majority and said majority has fought to protect their drug from reasonable laws. It’s survival of the meanest and your rivals are afraid of your brain on shrooms. People like me spewing about shrooms without having ever tried them might be part of the reason they’re afraid.

As a drug user I should say I understand the risks better than most people. Still we can’t scientifically predict or explain the effects of drugs so I feel inclined to say there’s a risk attached to trying any drug. This fear of the unknown doesn’t prevent the functioning of our society since we don’t NEED to know what drugs feel like (yet). At this point government officials go home and decide never to think about this issue ever again.

I’d be all for starting a society that expects more from itself but I think an EVEN BIGGER issue is the lack of diversity in societies on our planet. Once we are all the same, are we not lemmings waiting for the drop? (excuse my Dutch melodrama)

Probably because of this (emphasis is mine):

“Once ingested, mushrooms generally cause feelings of nausea before the desired mental effects appear. The high from using magic mushrooms is mild and may cause altered feelings and distorted perceptions of touch, sight, sound and taste. Other effects can include nervousness and paranoia. Effects can be different during each use due to varying potency, the amount ingested, and the user’s expectations, mood, surroundings, and frame of mind. On some trips, users experience sensations that are enjoyable. Others can include terrifying thoughts, and anxiety, fears of insanity, death, or losing control.

Some magic mushroom users experience “flashbacks”, or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), which are reoccurrences of hallucinations long after ingesting the drug. The causes of these effects, which in some users occur after a single experience with the drug, are not known.”

Source

Psilocybin mushrooms don’t have many viable options for use, either. A lot of mind-altering drugs are beginning to be used medicinally, for instance, ecstasy and LSD are used to treat severe headaches and PTSD, but mushrooms aren’t potent enough to have that sort of effect. However, that’s as much a guess as anything else as to why; LSD and ecstasy are both Schedule I drugs. A more reasonable answer is probably the fear associated with drugs such as LSD, with its severe potential for abuse, and mushrooms were just grouped with it.

I would suggest that this is likely because alcohol is the universally accepted drug of most cultures/countries. Because of this it is obvious that most societies don’t want to add any more potential problems from the effects of other mind altering substances when there are enough problems dealing with alcohol alone.

Personally I wish that Cannabis and shrooms were legal for personal use myself. You can also pick psilocybin mushrooms in the wild in most U.S states as well. Muscimol containing mushrooms such as fly agarics and panthers are both psychoactive mushrooms which are common in the wild as well and that I believe are legal in most countries. I’ve tried psilocybin and muscimol containing mushrooms and both experiences can be quite vivid.

Just because something is natural, it doesnt mean its not dangerous.
When I was young they really messed me up. It took me weeks to feel halfway normal again and I sometimes think that the frequent episodes of “foggy brain” that I have experienced throughout my life might some how be related to damage caused by those mushrooms I ate when I was in Jr High.

Probably because people have been munching on the things for 80,000 years or so and it’s time to make a break from the culture and heritage of our past. Yeah let’s stop getting tattoos as well! Too much historical precedent! “Mushrooms, we are no longer friends with you; you make us listen to the trees and they are kinda pissed at us for a few things.”

@Judi Just because something is potentially dangerous or can be abused, doesn’t mean it should be illegal. Some legislatures go too far reacting to things and trying to punish their use.