Sam Amico
Mushrooms alone are good for you. But the kind that are being somewhat secretly grown across the U.S.? Yeah, not so much.
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But it seems some are purposely growing what have long been known as “magic mushrooms” in an attempt to profit from the naturally made psychedelic drug.
That said, it’s not all negative, as relayed in a story by Vice. Some have medicinal purposes.
Colorado, Oregon, California and Washington are the primary breeding grounds for the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus.
“The last few years, I’ve seen a significant decline in the population of magic mushrooms in our area,” Jeff Patterson, a glassblower from Bremerton, Washington, told Vice. “And so the only way to combat it is to plant more. They have medicinal powers for addiction and depression. I ate as many as I could one night and woke up and haven’t smoked a cigarette since.”
Glassart has documented his mushroom-growing business on his Instagram account, often speaking of the benefits. Clearly, wood chips play a big role in all this.
Magic Mushrooms for All
“A few of us have been stopped by police or other people who are curious about why we are digging in the wood chips,” he said. “Whenever we’ve been approached, we just say things about mushrooms that most people get bored with and they leave you alone. Cops often say you may be trespassing, you should go now.”
Mushrooms in general are said to ward off some major health issues — including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s, given their high level of antioxidants.
“Get everybody eating gourmet mushrooms,” said Nick Phillips, after leading a recent Psychedelic Society guerrilla event in London, via Vice. “They strengthen people’s immune systems.”
Well, that’s one reason, anyway.
