Posted by pinksharkmark (196.3.74.236) on October 16, 2000 at 14:08:02:
In Reply to: correct on the trespassing and my ungiving attitude, however posted by sailpappy on October 16, 2000 at 12:20:52:
... I will be honest and say that it is irrelevant to my personal position whether SIMPLE POSSESSION is in fact, illegal in Florida or not. I will say, however, that you are the first to say that it is illegal. I get many Florida tourists in my bar, and they all say that simple possession IS NOT illegal. In fact, it is a famous problem in many localities... the out-of-state "shroom pilgrims" tramping all over private property are a positive nuisance, hence the rigid enforcement of the anti-trespassing statutes.
It doesn't surprise me that someone at the Narcotic Division of the Collier County Sheriff's office would discourage a caller from picking mushrooms. It would be interesting, however, to call a defense attorney who specialized in trying drug cases in Florida courts and see if they agreed with the Sheriff's interpretation of the Florida statutes regarding simple possession (NOT possession with intent to sell) of psilocybin-bearing mushrooms.
However, even if I have been misinformed by so many other Florida residents and Florida-based websites, and it is now currently illegal to possess mature psilocybin-bearing mushrooms in Florida, just as it is in the other forty-nine states, it doesn't change my position.
I am very sorry to hear that you lost a good friend to poisonous mushrooms. I am not being facetious here. He didn't die from eating PSILOCYBIN mushrooms, though. This is one reason why I recommend cultivation rather than gathering wild specimens. Despite the distinctive appearance of psilocybin mushrooms, it is not impossible to misidentify them.
I admire your courage in enduring agony on a daily basis rather than taking anything to alleviate it. I am too much of a wimp to do that. I eat Imitrex pills like candy, gobble verapamil, take powdered ginger for shadows, stuff hot pepper cream up my nose... anything that I think might give me enough relief that I can work and support myself.
You're a stronger man than I, sir.
pinky