psilocybin mushrooms to open fields do not seem to run great 
risks of encountering really dangerous fungi, except, possibly, 
some poisonous /nocybe species around the edges of fields. 
These mushrooms contain toxic amounts of muscarine, but 
cases of poisoning by them are rare in the Pacific Northwest, 
although thousands of people are picking small mushrooms. So 
far, the psychoactive mushroom craze has not resulted in any 
great increase in the incidence of mushroom poisoning. 
The legal status of psychoactive mushrooms is unclear. Al- 
though United States Federal law controls any ‘‘material’’ 
containing psilocybin, mushrooms are not specifically men- 
tioned. The laws of most states are similar to the Federal law in 
this respect. No laws, Federal or state, apply to Amanita. In 
the American South, where large numbers of young people 
hunt the conspicuous psilocybin mushroom, Stropharia 
cubensis, prosecutions for trespassing have occurred but not 
for possession of mushrooms. In 1976, two young hunters of S. 
cubensis were shot to death by a policeman in a Florida field; 
the policeman was subsequently indicted by a grand jury (33). 
In the Pacific Northwest, law enforcement officers do not pay 
much attention to collectors of psychoactive mushrooms. This 
situation will change if the number of hunters increases greatly, 
if newspapers publicize the use of the mushrooms, or if the 
behavior of users draws attention. Large numbers of Orego- 
nians went after Liberty Caps in the fall of 1976, with much 
attendant publicity, and increasing complaints from property 
owners. 
Use of psychoactive mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest 
and elsewhere will almost certainly continue to grow. 
Psychoactivity appears to be distributed more widely in the 
fungal kingdom than anyone has imagined. Consequently, 
more species may come into use, including others previously 
considered poisonous. There is little chance that these mush- 
rooms will disappear or lend themselves to eradication by 
zealous opponents of psychoactive drugs. If anything, the 
mushrooms are swiftly invading new territories, as in the case 
of the Washington Blue Veil that seemed to appear out of 
nowhere on the University of Washington campus. Doubtless 
human involvement with these species is one factor helping to 
spread them. We need much more information on psychoac- 
tive mushrooms, on their taxonomy, chemistry, pharmacol- 
ogy, and potential usefulness. Growing awareness of them in 
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