If you've been putting off that big trip to Amsterdam, thinking things would never change, you might have cause to reconsider... especially if you were hoping for some legal magic mushrooms. The case of a recent 17-year-old leaping to her death on mushrooms has caused all kinds of alarm; of course, the girl's preexisting psychiatric history isn't to blame, no sir. Regardless, members of the Dutch government are outraged, and a big ol' study is going down - the results of which will either be an age limit of 18 years, or a complete ban nationwide.
The article I read included an "amusing" little round up of other magic mushroom incidents, all involving tourists (who consume the vast majority of mushrooms in the country):
-A 22-year-old British tourist ran amok in a hotel, breaking his window and slicing his hand.
-A 19-year-old Icelandic tourist thought he was being chased and jumped from a balcony, breaking both his legs.
-A 29-year-old Danish tourist drove his car wildly through a campground, narrowly missing people sleeping in their tents.
The sad thing is I don't find these stories far-fetched and they don't particularly surprise me. By definition, if you grow up in a country where strong psychedelics are illegal, there's no guarantee that you will acquire useful skills for handling yourself on strong psychedelics. If you then travel to a country where there are no limits on your use of strong psychedelics, it totally makes sense that there's a small but real chance you will act out in some idiotic or harmful fashion. The problem, of course, isn't inherently the mushrooms or the shops that sell them; it's the way rational, honest information about responsible drug use is essentially non-existent. (Stop me if you've heard this before...)
I just hope the Dutch continue to understand it at least to that extent they did.
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