Laura Smith
Magic mushrooms, or shrooms, are psychedelic drugs that can induce hallucinations and distort a person's sense of reality. They contain hallucinogens, typically psilocybin and psilocin, which are converted in the body to psychoactive chemicals. The effects of magic mushrooms vary from person to person and can include altered thinking, emotions, and senses, as well as physical symptoms like nausea and increased heart rate. While magic mushrooms are being researched for their potential therapeutic benefits, they can also lead to negative experiences known as bad trips, and there is a risk of misidentifying and consuming poisonous mushrooms, which can be life-threatening.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common names | Magic mushrooms, shrooms, psilocybin |
| Key ingredient | Psilocybin |
| Effects | Hallucinations, altered state of consciousness, change in perception, chills, dilated pupils, euphoria, facial flushes, fast heart rate, feelings of wellbeing, headache, higher body temperature, increased sweating, irregular heart rate, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, fear, paranoia, loss of boundaries, distorted sense of self, muscle twitches, increased blood pressure |
| Legality | Illegal in Canada, the UK, and the US |
| Risks | Poisoning from toxic mushrooms, accidental ingestion by children or pets, misidentification of mushrooms, polydrug use, "bad trips", "flashbacks" |
| Therapeutic uses | Research into potential therapeutic uses for substance use disorders and other mental illnesses is ongoing |
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What You'll Learn
What are magic mushrooms?
Magic mushrooms, also known as shrooms, are psychedelic drugs that contain hallucinogens, usually psilocybin and psilocin. They are found on nearly every continent and have a long history of use, dating back to 3000 BC when they were used by indigenous people in Central America for healing and spiritual rituals.
Psilocybin is the key ingredient in magic mushrooms, and when ingested, it is converted to psilocin in the body. Psilocin is the chemical with psychoactive properties, which cause people to hallucinate. Magic mushrooms can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time, emotions, and sense of reality. The effects of magic mushrooms vary from person to person and can include anxiety, fear, paranoia, nausea, and muscle twitches, accompanied by an increased heart rate and blood pressure.
The biggest danger of consuming magic mushrooms is the risk of misidentifying them and accidentally consuming poisonous mushrooms, which can be extremely harmful or even fatal. It is also important to note that magic mushrooms are illegal in many places, including Canada and the UK, where they are classified as a Class A drug.
Despite the risks and legal implications, there is increasing interest in the potential therapeutic uses of magic mushrooms and psilocybin. Research is being conducted to study the effects of psilocybin on the brain and body and its potential as a treatment for substance use disorders and other mental illnesses.
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How do magic mushrooms make you hallucinate?
Magic mushrooms, or 'shrooms', are hallucinogenic. They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time, emotions, and sense of reality. They can cause a person to hallucinate, seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted. They can also make users feel anxious, fearful, or paranoid, which is known as a "bad trip".
The key ingredient in magic mushrooms is psilocybin, which is converted in the body to psilocin, the chemical with psychoactive properties. They are typically consumed dried or powdered. Magic mushrooms are illegal in many places, including Canada and the UK, where they are classified as a Class A drug.
The effects of magic mushrooms vary from person to person and depend on the dose and type of mushroom used. They typically appear within 15-45 minutes and last for four to six hours. The strength of magic mushrooms can vary greatly, and it is difficult to know how strong they are. This makes it dangerous to take them, as some mushrooms are extremely poisonous and can make people very sick or even kill them. It is also easy to mistake poisonous mushrooms for magic mushrooms, as they often look similar.
Tolerance to the effects of magic mushrooms develops rapidly, meaning that users need to take more and more to achieve the same effect. This can lead to polydrug use, which is the use of more than one drug or type of drug at the same time or one after another. Mixing drugs is always risky, and mixing magic mushrooms with substances such as cannabis, amphetamines, or alcohol can elevate the risks of serious side effects and adverse events.
There is increasing interest in the potential therapeutic uses of magic mushrooms and psilocybin, one of their active ingredients. Research is being conducted into psilocybin as a potential treatment for substance use disorders and other mental illnesses. However, there are currently no approved therapeutic products containing psilocybin.
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What are the risks of taking magic mushrooms?
Magic mushrooms, or psilocybin mushrooms, are mostly illegal in the US, but some cities have decriminalized them. They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions, and causing hallucinations. While some people take them for spiritual experiences and self-discovery, or for the euphoria and sense of connection they can induce, there are several risks associated with their consumption.
Firstly, it is difficult to know how strong mushrooms are, and it can be challenging to identify psilocybin mushrooms from poisonous ones, even for professionals. Poisonous mushrooms can make people very sick and can even be fatal. Therefore, it is important to be certain of what type of mushroom one is consuming.
Secondly, while psilocybin is not considered addictive, regular use may cause people to become tolerant to its effects, and cross-tolerance occurs with other drugs, including LSD and mescaline. The risk of a bad trip also increases with higher doses or if the user has feelings of anxiety before taking the mushrooms. Bad trips can include feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and short-term psychosis. Furthermore, some users may experience flashbacks, or visual recall of an intensely upsetting experience, anywhere from a few days to years after consumption. This is known as hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder and is a rare condition.
Lastly, magic mushrooms can cause accidents, especially if one tries to drive under their influence. They can also lead to long-term changes in personality. While the short-term effects of magic mushrooms typically wear off in 6 to 12 hours, it takes much longer for the substance to be eliminated from one's system, and it can be detected in hair follicles for up to 90 days.
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What are the signs of a bad trip?
Psilocybin mushrooms, also known as "shrooms" or "magic mushrooms", are hallucinogenic fungi that can lead to a bad trip. A bad trip on mushrooms can cause excessive fear, agitation, or emotionally disturbing situations. The precise cause of a bad trip is not widely understood, but certain factors may contribute to one, such as the environment and individual factors like mental health, setting, quantity, and expectations.
- Disturbing hallucinations: These can cause extreme fear or mood swings, and may take the form of visual flashbacks or traumatic recall of intensely upsetting experiences.
- Health problems: In rare cases, mushrooms have been linked to issues like seizures, comas, and acute kidney injuries. Some people may also experience gastrointestinal issues such as stomach cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea.
- Aggressive behavior: While a "bad trip guide" can help some people, others may develop a paranoid attitude towards the guide or become aggressive.
- Feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and short-term psychosis: These mental health symptoms can be exacerbated by the individual's environment and setting.
- Altered sense of time: Someone having a bad trip may feel as if time is standing still.
- Physical symptoms: These can include a fast heart rate, increased sweating, nausea, vomiting, chills, facial flushing, and headaches.
It is important to note that the effects of a bad trip can feel much longer than they actually are. If someone is experiencing a bad trip, they should be moved away from noise and stimulation, as this can make the experience worse. Remaining calm, establishing which drugs were taken, and monitoring their vital signs can also help. In some cases, medical attention may be required, especially if the individual is experiencing health problems or aggressive behavior.
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Are magic mushrooms illegal?
Magic mushrooms, or shrooms, are psychedelic drugs that can cause hallucinations and distort a person's sense of reality. They contain psilocybin, which is converted into psilocin in the body—the chemical with psychoactive properties.
The legality of magic mushrooms varies across the world. Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Schedule I drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, which requires its members to prohibit the drug, restricting its use to medical and scientific research. However, the mushrooms containing the drug were not specifically included in the convention due to pressure from the Mexican government. As a result, there is ambiguity in the legal status of psilocybin mushrooms in many national, state, and provincial drug laws, with selective enforcement in some places.
In the United States, federal law and most states classify psilocybin as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal to possess, sell, or grow. However, some states like Colorado and Oregon have legalized certain uses, and a few cities have deprioritized arrests and prosecution for personal possession. In November 2020, Oregon voters passed a ballot initiative to make "magic mushrooms" legal for mental health treatment. Similarly, in 2022, Colorado became the second US state to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms, allowing personal use and private cultivation for adults 21 and older.
In Canada, the province of Alberta has allowed the use of psilocybin for medicinal purposes in drug-assisted psychotherapy since 2023. In Australia, psilocybin has been approved for use in prescription medications for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression as of February 2023.
In contrast, some jurisdictions, including Germany and a few US states like California, Georgia, and Idaho, have specifically prohibited the sale and possession of psilocybin mushroom spores, considering them items used in drug manufacture. Cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms is often penalized severely and regarded as drug manufacture in most jurisdictions.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, mushrooms that contain hallucinogens, usually psilocybin and psilocin, cause people to hallucinate. They alter a person's sense of reality and can make them see, hear, or feel things that are not there.
Mushrooms can cause anxiety, fear, nausea, and muscle twitches accompanied by increased heart rate and blood pressure. They can also lead to "bad trips" or "flashbacks".
If you suspect that you or someone you know has eaten a poisonous mushroom, do not wait for symptoms to occur. Get medical help as soon as possible and contact the relevant poisons information centre.
