By George Gu Ms.

Morcones Period 6 Health

Type/Category
Mushrooms are a type of hallucinogenic drug. What are hallucinogenic drugs? Hallucinogenic drugs are a type of substance that you ingest into your body which alters your senses, or causes you to hallucinate. These drugs distort the way someone perceives reality. Mushrooms contain a chemical called psilocybin which causes the hallucinogenic effects so this type of mushroom is called the psilocybin mushroom.

How the Drug is Taken

These psilocybin mushrooms are not the normal type of mushrooms that you eat in a meal, but generally, these mushrooms are eaten, and some people make a tea out of the mushrooms and drink it. The common misconception is that these mushrooms are smoked, but this would create a burning effect which is very unpleasant.

Street Names
Magic Mushrooms Shrooms Caps Boomers Simple Simon

Effects on the Body

Effects start to appear 20 minutes after ingesting. Since it is a hallucinogenic drug, it will temporarily impair judgment and the drug user will hallucinate. They may hear, see, touch, taste, and listen differently than a person not on psilocybin mushrooms. While in the euphoric stage, there will be a tingling feeling usually in the arms and legs.

Withdrawal Symptoms
There are no psychological withdrawal symptoms for mushrooms, but there are physical withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The symptoms could vary because different bodies work differently. Some people may have different reactions. Overuse of psilocybin mushrooms could cause permanant brain damage.

Interesting Facts
The feelings a mushroom taker may feel can be good or bad. Bad feelings could include intense fear and paranoia lasting up to 10 hours while good feelings can be extreme rushes of happiness. Steve Jobs once took psilocybin mushrooms and said it was one of the most enjoyable moments of his life.

Should it be Legal?
Psilocybin mushrooms should not be legal because it could easily be abused and this could cause serious damage to the mind and body. Medicinal use should be given only by a doctor because it can have effects similar to medicinal marijuana which some patients need.

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Work Cited
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsmu shrooms Trusted Cite: (Palo Alto Medical Foundation) http://www.pamf.org/teen/risk/drugs/hallucinog ens/psilocybin.html Book: Buzzed - The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, Wilkie Wilson, Leigh Heather Wilson, Jeremy Foster