NUMBER OF PADDO INCIDENTS IS INCREASING

Fresh magic mushrooms can be legally cultivated in fully legal paddo farms, and sold in The Netherlands in special smart shops. Lately many incidents occur where especially tourists get sick, go crazy or even commit suicide. The Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen suggested to build in a three day reflection phase between purchase and use.

Last year the ambulance had to turn out 128 times for magic mushroom related incidents, in 2005 this was 70 times and in 2004 55 times. The Dutch ministry of health started a research to find out how damaging magic mushrooms are for one´s health. After paddo’s even turned up in chocolate bars on the Amsterdam airport Schiphol, the Amsterdam Health department decided to research the sales of paddos.

The most striking incidents:  three months ago a French girl jumped off a building and killed herself after the use of paddo´s. Her parents stated that the Dutch state is responsible. Last weekend a tourist took far too many mushrooms and went totally crazy, destroyed the interior of a hotel and his rescue caused a huge traffic jam in the centre of Amsterdam. Riot police had to get the crazy tourist out of the hotel. A few days later a young man from Iceland jumped out of his hotel room and broke both his ankles, while he was in the middle of a paddo trip.

De Amsterdam mayor is considering to introduce a special licensing system for smart shops, so the three day reflection phase can be enforced. After identification, the people that buy paddo´s will get a special card with the date the special mushrooms can be collected, and information about use and effects of magic mushrooms.

The Dutch association of smart shops supports the suggestions. They see it as an intelligent solution for a problem that actually only occurs in Amsterdam. With their support the smart shop association hopes that a total ban on the sales of paddo´s will be prevented. They also do not have a problem with the minimum age of 18 years for people who want to buy magic mushrooms from Holland. more features

September 20, 2006