BRUSSELS, Nov. 11 (Chinese media) -- The cultivation and sale of fresh hallucinatory mushrooms, or "magic mushrooms," will be banned in the Netherlands beginning Dec. 1, Dutch officials said Tuesday.
"The use of magic mushrooms has hallucinogenic effects. Experience shows that this can lead to unpredictable and risky behavior," the Dutch Health Ministry said in a statement.
The sale and possession of dried magic mushrooms has already been outlawed in the country.
The Dutch Parliament called for a ban last year after the death of a 17-year-old French tourist who was believed to have eaten so-called magic mushrooms before she jumped off a bridge in the capital of Amsterdam.
According to Amsterdam health service figures, ambulances were called out 149 times last year to deal with people who had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Most of the incidents involved young tourists, especially from Italy and Britain, who often come to Amsterdam because of its reputation for easily available drugs.
Magic mushrooms are sold at 180 so-called smart shops in the Netherlands. The association representing these shops has expressed disappointment with the ban and said it would take legal steps to prevent the action.
The ban comes at a time of political and social debate on the Dutch policy of tolerating soft drugs such as marijuana and mushrooms.
The Christian Democrats, the biggest coalition party, recently called for a complete ban on the so-called coffee shops where marijuana is sold.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment