Amsterdam closes 2 "smart shops"

[prepress420]

Amsterdam closes 2 "smart shops"
6 July 2007

AMSTERDAM – The municipality of Amsterdam has closed two "smart shops" on the Spuistraat with immediate effect. An inspection found that the shops Innerspace and The Magic Mushroom Gallery were acting in violation of drug legislation, the city announced on Thursday. The shops are favourites with backpackers looking for hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Inspectors found dried mushrooms containing the prohibited substance psilocyne at these two shops. This classifies the mushrooms as hard drugs. The party drug GHB was also found at the Magic Mushroom Gallery.

The municipality of Amsterdam is working with police, the health inspectorate, the tax authority and the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority in carrying out inspections at these shops that cell certain types of soft drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Two shops on the Nieuwendijk were forced to close in March when it emerged that they were not operating in accordance with the law. Inspectors found weapons, amphetamines and chocolate bars containing hallucinogenic mushrooms at the premises.

A report from the regional health authority GGD in Amsterdam indicates that there has been a sharp rise in the number of incidents involving hallucinogenic mushrooms over the past three years. Young foreign tourists in particular have become ill after taking the drugs.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2007]

Subject: Dutch news

 

[Alex-F]

Damn the Magic Mushroom Gallery had the best shrooms

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

A report from the regional health authority GGD in Amsterdam indicates that there has been a sharp rise in the number of incidents involving hallucinogenic mushrooms over the past three years. Young foreign tourists in particular have become ill after taking the drugs.

So? I'd like to see one single journalist do his job properly and use source criticism on the information he/she conveys, even if it comes from the government.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Psilocybine, the active ingredient of Magic Mushrooms:

The toxicity of psilocybin is relatively low; when administered intravenously in rabbits, Psilocybin's LD50 (In toxicology, the LD50 (abbreviation for "Lethal Dose, 50%") or median lethal dose of a toxic substance or radiation is the dose required to kill half the members of a tested population) is approximately 12.5mg/kg. In rats, the oral LD50 is 280mg/kg — almost one and a half times that of caffeine.[7] Death from psilocybin intake alone is unknown at most recreational or medicinal levels.

Neither does psilocybin cause any permanent (if any) damaging effects.

Which means that a large number of pharmacetical drugs avaible in pharmacies are much more dangerous than Mushrooms. Not to talk about alcohol. How many alcoholics drink themselves to death in the streets of Amsterdam (or any other city in the world), and does that cause a shut down of bars, restaurants, supermarkets and liquor stores that sold the stuff?

The main cause of premature death in the western world today is cardiac arrest, and alcohol, tobaccco smoking and fat, sugar rich food is the main cause of it. Still, all those products are legal and on sale everywhere, while harmless drugs such as Cannabis and Mushrooms are illegal.

If legislators do not pull their heads out of their asses and respect scientific facts to create laws that makes sense, how can they expect people to take them seriously?

 

[oldpink]

yep both shops have been closed and boarded up
another blow to freedom and freedom of choice

 

[PeavillePride]

So? I'd like to see one single journalist do his job properly and use source criticism with the information he/she conveys, even if it comes from the government.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Psilocybine, the active ingredient of Magic Mushrooms:

The toxicity of psilocybin is relatively low; when administered intravenously in rabbits, Psilocybin's LD50 (In toxicology, the LD50 (abbreviation for "Lethal Dose, 50%") or median lethal dose of a toxic substance or radiation is the dose required to kill half the members of a tested population) is approximately 12.5mg/kg. In rats, the oral LD50 is 280mg/kg — almost one and a half times that of caffeine.[7] Death from psilocybin intake alone is unknown at most recreational or medicinal levels.

Neither does psilocybin cause any permanent (if any) damaging effects.

Which means that a large number of pharmacetical drugs avaible in pharmacies are much more dangerous than Mushrooms. Not to talk about alcohol. How many alcoholics drink themselves to death in the streets of Amsterdam (or any other city in the world), and does that cause a shut down of bars, restaurants, supermarkets and liquor stores that sold the stuff?

The main cause of premature death in the western world today is cardiac arrest, and alcohol, tobaccco smoking and fat, sugar rich food is the main cause of it. Still, all those products are legal and on sale everywhere, while harmless drugs such as Cannabis and Mushrooms are illegal.

If legislators do not pull their heads out of their asses and respect scientific facts to create laws that makes sense, how can they expect people to take them seriously?

Totaly agree,once this starts others follow.Peace,PVP

 

[Guest]

This is really sad, I used to go in the Magic Mushroom Gallery every time I was in Amsterdam.

 

[Guest]

that's sad i liked the magic mushroom gallery... they had friendly staff and good shrooms...

i hate fresh shrooms and the mmg always had nice dried hawaians

 

[spliffdiddy]

I was under the impression that all magic mushrooms contained psilocybin. And I thought all the smart shops sold magic mushrooms. Am I missing something here? I know they found other things in the shop that were supposedly illegal, but how can psilocybin be one of them if all magic mushrooms contain it?
Peace

 

[A-Loc]

i'm pretty sure spliffdiddy that it was ok for shops to shell fresh shrooms but not dryed ones.

 

[Dutchgrown]

Fresh are allowed....dried are not....those who sell dried schrooms are in violation. Makes about as much sense as it's allowed to purchase weed/hash in coffeeshops but no one is allowed to produce it. Just more of the dutch law double standards.

dg

 

[Alex-F]

The shrooms we got from the place by Hunters were dried aswell, but I think that was more due to them being old than them wanting to sell dried ones. Weren't as good as the fresh ones from TMG any way

 

[Farmer John]

Kokopelli. A great place...noooo, they dont sell dried ones..

 

[Guest]

Fresh are allowed....dried are not....those who sell dried schrooms are in violation. Makes about as much sense as it's allowed to purchase weed/hash in coffeeshops but no one is allowed to produce it. Just more of the dutch law double standards.

dg

At least you get one of the two on the right side of the law, but it is hard to see the logic

 

[order 66]

that's shit -- leaving tomorrow! Got some there just last December and they were great (err, not dried yeah? ). I still have one of their stickers on my fridge -- shitty

 

[Boxy Brown]

RIP

 

[Queso]

that does suck!! i hate to see any shops close down in amsterdam that help make my trip to amsterdam that much better... ah well i guess not much can be done now... hopefully someone steps up and takes there place.

what a bummer

 

[prepress420]

Magic mushroom shops want age limit

Magic mushroom shops want age limit

Magic mushroom shops want age limit
23 July 2007

AMSTERDAM – Shops selling magic mushrooms are calling for an age limit of 18 years. In consultation with the municipality of Amsterdam and the ministry of health care the shop owners themselves want to impose the age limit, according to the Vereniging Landelijk Overleg Smartshops (VLOS) (the Association of National Smart Shops) on Monday. Twenty-five Amsterdam smart shops are affiliated to this organisation.

Health Minister Ab Klink said he wanted to look into an age limit for the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms last month. The past three years has seen a considerable increase in the number of magic mushroom incidents in the centre of Amsterdam, whereby the ambulance was called out, in particular to rush young tourists who got ill to hospital.

[Copyright Expatica News +ANP 2007]

Subject: Dutch news

 

[oldpink]

smart shops are now putting up notices saying 21+ and asking for ID

 

[jimbo_jim]

yep both shops have been closed and boarded up
another blow to freedom and freedom of choice

It was the shops fault, its like if an off-lisence in UK sold crack, it would be closed down. If id didn't it wouldn't be closed down. These people know what they are allowed to sell and have in their shop and should be especially carefull not to violate this. I feel a bit pissed off that they they as it brings unwanted attention to other shops

 

[Guest]

They found ghb, or were they selling ghb?