Meet Central Florida’s Own Magic Mushroom
Florida’s native flora and fauna bring delight to locals and tourists alike, and invasive species are a peril to the Sunshine State’s ecosystem. Florida panthers and key deer have become vanishingly rare, and in certain parts of Florida, Australian melaleuca trees outnumber native mangroves and the green iguana, native to Central and South America, has a bigger population than the American alligator, with its native range in the southeastern United States. As a medical cannabis dispensary in Tampa has begun selling the hallucinogenic Amanita muscaria fungus, which is native to Siberia, an equally magical mushroom, rare though it may be, has its ancestral home right here in Hillsborough County, Florida. Psilocybe tampanensis, sometimes sold under the name “philosopher’s stone,” is a Schedule I controlled substance and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future, but other hallucinogenic mushrooms are closer to becoming legal for medical or recreational use in Florida. If you are facing criminal charges for possession of psychedelic mushrooms, contact a Florida drug offenses attorney.
What Is Psilocybe tampanensis?
Psilocybe tampanensis is a psychedelic mushroom with an origin story that could only happen in Florida. It was first discovered in 1977 by Steven Pollock, a mycologist (a biologist who specializes in fungi) who was attending a mycology conference in Tampa and ditched a boring lecture to explore the local fungi and happened upon a new species, which he named P. tampanensis. Pollock and his colleague Gaston Guzman described the fungus in an article in the journal Mycotaxon in 1978, but no other specimens of P. tampanensis were found in the wild for more than 40 years. The fungus gained a following as a recreational drug, though, and the original mushroom found in 1977 is the origin of the many cloned specimens that became part of the drug supply.
Florida’s Own Philosopher’s Stone Is Not High on the List of Psychedelics to Legalize
- tampanensis is prized for its psychedelic properties; it is sometimes called the “philosopher’s stone.” Like most psychedelic mushrooms, it is a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, meaning that it is always illegal and has no legally accepted medical uses. There is growing support in the medical community for the use of psychedelics to treat conditions such as substance use disorder and clinical depression, but although Oregon and Colorado have legalized certain types of psilocybin mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms like Florida’s philosopher’s stone remain in a legal gray area. Possession of a Schedule I controlled substance is a serious criminal charge, punishable by five years in prison and loss of voting rights. Therefore, no matter how firm your belief that psychedelic mushrooms do more good than they do harm, you should hire a lawyer if you are facing charges for possession.
Contact FL Drug Defense Group About Psychedelic Mushroom Possession Cases
A Central Florida criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are being charged with possession of psychedelic mushrooms or another Schedule I controlled substance. Contact FL Drug Defense Group in Orlando, Florida to discuss your case.
Sources:
cybertruffle.org.uk/cyberliber/59575/0007/002/0373.htm
businessinsider.com/magic-mushroom-dispensary-in-florida-is-testing-drug-law-boundaries-2022-10
