CLASS A NIBBLES HIT THE HIGH STREET

BANDS of hippies in search of a memorable high at a low cost once
tramped the countryside in search of this illicit fungi.

The hallucinogenic effects of magic mushrooms were generally
restricted to those determined enough to scour forests and secluded
glades at the right time of the year.

But help is now at hand for those who find reality too dull and can't
be bothered to leave the city in search of a solution.

Magic mushrooms, despite containing a Class A drug, have recently gone
on sale in Scottish shops without - so far - attracting the attention
of the police.

Retailers are making full use of vagueness in the law which means
magic mushrooms are only illegal if they are 'dried' or 'prepared'.

For nearly half a century, The Pipe Shop on Edinburgh's Leith Walk,
has been one of the top places to buy Havana cigars in Scotland. But,
alongside the jars of specialist tobacco and a massive humidor full of
the finest Cuban tobacco leaves, there are now discreet signs offering
"Mexicana magic mushrooms" for UKP12 a bag.

And a former greasy spoon in Leith - newly converted to an internet
cafe and renamed 'Purple Haze' - has also diversified into the
business, selling both the Mexican and Hawaiian strains.

The tobacconist and cafe owner both have a letter from the Home Office
that indicates the sale of magic mushrooms is legal, providing they
are sold in their natural state.

However, Scottish authorities appear ready to adopt a hardline stance
on the sale of the mushrooms, which contain the class A substance
psilocybin, that could lead to life sentences for both men if a judge
interprets the law differently.

Tobacconist Alan Myerthall, 58, makes an unlikely supplier to the
students, businessmen and pensioners who flock to his shop.

While he enjoys a cigar with a glass of red wine or the occasional
whisky, he would never dream of taking a mushroomed-fuelled trip.

He said: "As far as I'm concerned other people can do as they please.
We get absolutely no trouble from our mushroom customers.

"We are selling magic mushrooms and truffles, and as far as I'm
concerned it's legal.

"It is a natural product. What's inside the mushrooms is a class A
drug, but it doesn't seem to be doing anybody any harm. People don't
seem to be getting addicted to it. It just seems to be a bit of fun."

Myerthall got into the business after expanding into the sale of
extra-large cigarette papers used to smoke marijuana cigarettes, bongs
and "herbal highs" such as the hallucinogenic herb salvia divinorum.

A supplier suggested he should sell magic mushrooms and, after initial
scepticism, he decided to stock them. Most are grown in Holland and
then shipped into Britain by wholesalers.

"We started selling the mushrooms as an experiment and it just took
off. It's been very big," he said. "We have a sign up but I would like
to keep it low profile. I just hope I don't get any flak from trading
standards or the Home Office."

Magic mushrooms were once used by a minority of drug users, but there
are now estimated to be more than 10,000 regular users as it becomes
part of the mainstream drug scene, used at student parties and in nightclubs.

Paul Stewart, 37, of the Purple Haze internet cafe on Portland Place,
near the Ocean Terminal complex in Leith, sells Mexicana, at UKP15 for a
30g bag, and the stronger Hawaiian mushrooms, at UKP12 for 10g.

"The more people take magic mushrooms the better as far as I'm
concerned, especially politicians. It might broaden their minds. Jack
McConnell should take a bit," he said.

"I think everyone should try everything once, apart from hard drugs. I
don't think I'm doing anything immoral or illegal."

A letter from Ian Breadmore, of the Home Office's drug licensing
section, seems to support the latter claim at least.

"It is not illegal to sell or give away a freshly picked mushroom
provided it has not been prepared in any way," he says.

However, Breadmore warns that legal advice should be sought on what
"prepared" means. "It would be for the courts to determine whether
chilling mushrooms in a fridge constituted altering them in any way,"
he says.

Alistair Ramsay, of Scotland Against Drugs, said he thought the police
should investigate the sale of the mushrooms, arguing that even
cutting them from the ground could be viewed as "preparation".

"If they then sell it, the penalty open to the court would be life in
prison," he said.

"Psilocybin is a very powerful drug and I think it is ridiculous we
should be able to buy illegal substances through commercial premises.

"I think it is highly irresponsible to sell them. Would you want a bus
driver under the influence of this? Someone using heavy machinery? A
pilot?"

A police source said even putting magic mushrooms in a bag or allowing
them to dry out while waiting to be sold could constitute
"preparation" and lead to arrest.

"I think the people selling them are on dangerous ground," the source
said.

And a official spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed:
"If we received information regarding psilocybin we would have an
interest in that because it is a class A controlled drug and supply of
that would be viewed as an offence."

Neil Montgomery, director of research at the Institute for the Study
of Psychoactive Substances in Edinburgh, who gives evidence in court
cases about the effects of drugs, said someone taking a small amount
might hardly notice anything.

However, colours could appear to be more vivid and shapes more
distinct. Giggling fits are also common.

But taking a larger dose produces a significant effect on the brain
and the world becomes "slightly surreal".

"It seems to be an internal process of examining your own thoughts and
perceptions. It does tend to make you concentrate on the bigger
picture," Montgomery said. "You're much more concerned about saving
the whale than whether or not your paper arrived on time."

However, it can also make people obsessively interested in simple
things.

"You may feel you have a bit of a bounce in your step when walking.
You could get drawn into the process of walking and disappear for two
hours examining that. I suppose that could be a problem, but you're
not going to find yourself sleeping in a chair or trying to jump out
the window."

But Montgomery warned that people occasionally had a bad reaction to
the drug. "I think paranoia is the most dangerous effect.
Some people cannot quite cope with the altered state of self that you
get."