Mp talks - fails to engage brain first.

First off the evidence, here is a link to Paul Flynn MP's daily weblog:Basic error on drugs. Now zip down to this part, which I have put in here: the Government had decided to classify magic mushrooms in the same category as heroin. Utter madness. Heroin has killed many thousands. Mushrooms have killed no-one.(red highlight is mine.)

Er well thats not exactly true is it, maybe not directly through poison in the system(more on that in a minute) but and and this is the important point when people lose control due to being off their face that can and does lead to deaths:Man leaps to death after eating magic mushrooms, from the Manchester Evening News.

Oh and also here: Article from Healthcentral.com

And a good warning on the dangers here: From the Independent, a family campaign on dangers of magic mushrooms.

This bit from Stoke on Trent Drug & Alchol Action Team: here. Part of which I have printed below.

Like LSD,once the trip has started there is no way of stopping it. A bad trip can include fear, paranoia, anxiety and psychological effects such as ‘flashbacks’ which can happen some time after the experience. More unpleasant effects are linked to fly agaric which can cause nausea and vomiting, lack of co-ordination, stiffness of joints and - in higher doses - intense disorientation making accidents more likely, convulsions and in some cases, death.

So maybe not as harmless as your glib remark suggested? A news report on a case is here.

Lastly a bit from the University of Oxford on magic mushrooms

Of course one of the more common reasons for death is that of human error, the so called magic mushroom has many close looking relations, many of which are not nice and in short lead to organ failure and death. Also no real reaserch has been done into the long term effects, I refer to this bit from the University of Oxford and I have highlighted the main points:

Philocybe mushrooms are not poisonous in the sense that they can kill and no lethal dose is known. However, some people react to them with vomiting, nausea and stomach pains. No serious long-term physical damage to health has been reported although it must be noted that no research has been carried out to assess the effects of frequent use.

The main risk to health from eating philocybe mushrooms comes from mistaken identity - collecting and eating poisonous varieties of mushrooms instead of the ones possessing the desired hallucinogenic properties. Some of these other fungi can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion. Distinguishing hallucinogenic mushrooms from poisonous ones can be very difficult and sometimes almost impossible.

Risks to physical safety are likely to result from an individual’s behaviour while under the influence of psilocybin. This may include irresponsible behaviour, which could lead to an accident or injury.

Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric is poisonous as well as being hallucinogenic. Its toxicity is mainly due to the presence of mycoatropine, which causes disorders of mental activity. The content of another poisonous agent, muscarine, is relatively small. Permanent physical damage or even death can be caused by eating them.

Fly Agaric itself is moderately toxic, but it should be remembered that species from the Amanita genus cause 95 percent of all deaths from mushroom poisoning. Fly Agaric’s closest relatives are Amanita virosa (Destroying Angel) and Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) - the names say it all.

So, consuming Fly Agaric can be very dangerous for an individual’s physical safety as so much depends on correct identification of the fungi. If a person is collecting mushrooms to eat for their hallucinogenic properties, one mistake could be their last mistake. Death by Amanita poisoning is reportedly an excruciating way to die. Even more horrifying is that the fatal symptoms only start to appear 2-3 days after eating the mushrooms - and by then it’s too late.

Details here:

Until approximately 24 hours after ingesting an Amanita, there are few, if any, signs that anything is wrong. After that time, a stomach upset occurs, with diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats. Over time, the vomiting grows worse, until there is a serious danger of dehydration. If not cared for, people get so weak that they die due to heart failure. If this does not happen, the outward symptoms may diminish, but the poisons continue to destroy the internal organs, especially the liver and kidneys. The victim usually remains lucid until death from massive organ failure.

There is no cure for Amanita mushroom poisoning. No one has ever found an antidote for the toxins in the Amanitas, although a combination of vitamins B and C has been found to help eliminate or destroy them. Because of the potential for liver damage, hepatic protectors are often administered, including cortisone, various anti-enzymes, and silymarin (a liver-protecting drug extracted from a plant in the cardoon family).

In serious cases of poisoning, blood transfusions, dialysis, or even liver and kidney transplants are necessary to save the victims' lives. Even these extreme measures are not always successful.

**In short a stupid statement from an MP, one that may lead to deaths and gives the impression that magic mushrooms are without risk. Eat one wrong mushroom and, up to 2 weeks later symptoms develop, and the only chance of saving your life is a liver or kidney transplant.

A mushroom should never be eaten unless you are 100% sure in its identification. Even experienced mushroom gatherers have made errors.

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