Mushrooms: Drug Classification: Hallucinogens / Club Drugs

Effects: Most doses will cause an experience of an altered sense of reality. The effects usually last 5-6 hours. At low doses, psilocybin (the hallucinogenic body in mushrooms) causes simple feelings of relaxation, physical heaviness or lightness, and some perceptual distortions (especially visual). At higher doses, more physical sensations occur, including light-headedness, numbness of the tongue, lips, or mouth, shivering, or sweating nausea, and anxiety.

After/Side Effects: Users experience an altered sense of reality accompanied by hallucinations and paranoia, which may last several days after taking the drug. As the drug wears off, users may feel drowsy, heavy and in most cases nauseous. Some, however, may feel depressed, have high anxiety and nausea both during and for some time after taking mushrooms.

Paraphernalia Associated With Use: None.

Short Term Consequences Of Use: Psilocybin mushrooms do not generally cause dangerous physical reactions, nor is addiction or physical dependence likely. A person's expectations, previous drug experiences, mood, the amount of the drug consumed, and the setting may all play a part in what kind of effects the drug produces.

Long Term Consequences Of Use: Flashbacks are common among frequent users of the drug.

Facts & Statistics:
Psilocybin is the active ingredient in these mushrooms.

Mushrooms have taken a rise in use among High School students.

This hallucinogen is also associated with raves can also be classed as a club drug.

Sources:
www.colostate.edu/DEPTS/HHS/APresDrugMisc.htm 

www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1357.html