Magic mushroom ban stands
2008-11-28 14:11
The Hague - A body representing Dutch magic mushroom vendors lost a court bid on Friday to halt a health ministry ban on the sale of the hallucinogenic fungi from next month.
"The judge decided to keep the ban as it is," Paul van Oyen, a spokesperson for the VLOS vendors' association, told AFP after the ruling in the district court in The Hague.
"This is bad news for us. We are highly disappointed."
The association's members would meet in the near future to decide whether or not to lodge an appeal, said Van Oyen.
"We are sure we have a strong case. To justify this ban, the minister has to prove that mushrooms pose a danger to public health. He hasn't been able to do so."
The ban introduced by Health Minister Ab Klink will stop the sale of fresh hallucinogenic mushrooms from December 1.
Klink believes consumption of the hallucinogens, sold in the Netherlands in so-called smart shops, "can lead to unpredictable and risky behaviour".
- AFP