After Cannabis, Maltese People Want To Legalise Mushrooms Next
Beyond cannabis, there’s one natural drug that people in Malta want to see legalised and regulated: mushrooms.
In a new survey conducted by Lovin Malta looking into drug habits on the island and the reaction towards the proposed legalisation of cannabis, mushrooms overwhelmingly appeared as the next most popular substance to see legalised after cannabis.
When asked whether Malta should consider legalising any other drugs beyond cannabis, 45% of the 447 respondents said mushrooms.
“There are drugs that have been proven to have no addiction, or are naturally occurring in nature or in the body, such as mushrooms,” said one respondent. “How strange would it be going to court and being made to swear on the bible and God, then be tried as a criminal for the possession of one of God’s creations.”
“Does that make our Catholic God parallel to a guy cooking up meth in a basement? According to the legal system, it’s the same thing.”
The interesting approach to mushrooms – which typically grow naturally and are not powder-based – was widely shared by respondents.
Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, mushrooms or shrooms, are a polyphyletic, informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Psilocybin mushrooms have been and continue to be used in indigenous New World cultures in religious, divinatory, or spiritual contexts.
They’ve even been used in spiritual ceremonies in Gozo.
However, not everyone believed any further drugs need to be legalised, with a majority of 56.3% saying they believed no further drugs need to be regulated after cannabis.
Following mushrooms, LSD – another hallucinogenic – was the next most wanted substance to be regulated in Malta, with 26% of respondents saying they’d like to see the blotters allowed.
On the other end of the spectrum, harder drugs like methamphetamine, crack cocaine and heroin were the least popular drugs to be legalised in Malta.
“This is obviously not something we can just hit a switch and go,” said another respondent. “First cannabis needs to be legal, and the stigma should dissolve if handled correctly. Then, slowly, drugs like truffles and MDMA can also be made available over the counter to further reduce the black market and allow for safer experiences for those that want it.”
“But Malta being so conservative means it is not something that can happen overnight.”
Do you think Malta should consider regulating other soft drugs after cannabis?
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