Welcome changes to paraphernalia legislation:

Thanks to the dogged work of Exchange Supplies and other activists, two problematic areas of the paraphernalia legislation have been amended. On the 12th October, Statutory Instrument SI 2005 (2846) - added ascorbic acid (VitC) to the list of items that it is legal for services to supply.

This follows on from the changes to the legislation regarding Water for Injection which we, lamentably, failed to report at the time. This was done under Statutory Instrument: SI 2005 No.1507 The Medicines for Human Use (Prescribing) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2005.

This became law 1st July 2005, and says:

• "(2) In the table in Part II of Schedule 5 to the POM Order (Exemptions from the restriction on supply), after paragraph 3, insert the following new paragraph -
• "3A Persons employed or engaged in the provision of lawful drug treatment services.
• 3A Ampoules of sterile water for injection containing not more than 2 mg of sterile water.
• 3A The supply shall be only in the course of provision of lawful drug treatment services."
  

Effectively, this makes the distributionof ampoules of water for injection legal, subject to the above size restrictions. Only a churl would point out that at present there are no ampoules of

Water for Injection of 2mls or less available in the UK, though Exchange Supplies are endeavouring to get their sterile water thus licensed.

Congratulations are in order to Jon Dericott and Andrew Preston for their dogged determination in achieving these legislative changes, and all those who supported their endeavours.

For more details go to: http://www.exchangesupplies.org/whatsnew.html

Why is that Farmer jumping up and down?

In October 2005, we wrote to the Home Office regarding Magic Mushrooms, seeking clarification as to what rules would be applied where mushrooms were growing on land. There had been some confusion about this.

The rather sweet response from Tawa Bishi makes all things clear.
Thanks to the wording of "Misuse of Drugs (amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2005, the prohibition against mushrooms does not apply if the fungus "is growing uncultivated." So if the mushroom is merely growing and the landowner does nothing to promote this process, then the presence of the mushroom is not illegal.

Further, Tawa Bishi assures us that "there is no obligation on landowners to remove psilocybe mushrooms which are growing uncultivated on their land."

We also asked how mushrooms should be destroyed. An ever-helpful Tawa explains:
"There is no set method of destruction...The mushrooms can be burnt, stamped upon and crushed, or allowed to decompose."

You couldn't make it up, really!