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News Archives: Index

October 7, 2010: Probation Set For Industrial Action

October 5, 2010: Turning Prisoners Into Taxpayers

October 4, 2010: Murder Changes Now In Force

September 20, 2010: Probation Programmes Face Cuts

August 24, 2010: Victorian Poor Law Records Online

August 10, 2010: Justice Job Cuts

July 28, 2010: Prison Violence Growing

July 22, 2010: Police Numbers: Latest Figures

July 22, 2010: New Jurisdiction Rules

July 16, 2010: CCJS On Prison And Probation Spending Under Labour

July 15, 2010: Latest Statistics On Violent And Sexual Crime

July 15, 2010: Latest National Crime Figures

July 15, 2010: New Chief Prisons Inspector

July 14, 2010: Hard Times Ahead For Prisons: Anne Owers

July 14, 2010: Prison Does Not Work: Ken Clarke

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform: Sentencing and Rehabilitation

July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform Priorities

July 12, 2010: What Price Public Protection, Asks Probation Chief Inspector

July 12, 2010: NOMS has failed, says Napo

July 10, 2010: IPCC To Investigate Death of Raoul Moat

July 9, 2010: Women In Prison: New Report

July 9, 2009: Unjust Deserts: Imprisonment for Public Protection

July 8, 2010: Police Search Powers Change

July 7, 2010: Make 'Legal High' Illegal, Says ACMD

July 2, 2010: Failing Children In Prison

July 2, 2010: Police Buried Under a Blizzard of Guidance: HMIC

July 1, 2010: Freedom To Change The Law?

June 30, 2010: A New Outlook On Penal Reform?

June 30, 2010: Revolving Door Of Offending Must Stop, Says Clarke

June 30, 2010: Ken Clarke: Speech on Criminal Justice Reform

June 29, 2010: No More Police Targets

June 26, 2010: Family Intervention Projects Questioned

June 25, 2010: Cutting Criminal Justice

June 24, 2010: Napo on Sex Offenders Report

June 23, 2010: Closing Courts: The Cuts Begin

June 23, 2010: Strategy To Tackle Gangs

June 15, 2010: Courts and Mentally Disordered Offenders

June 8, 2010: Working With Muslims in Prison

June 1, 2010: Your Chance To Nominate a QC

July 18, 2005: "Magic Mushrooms" Loophole Closed

From the 18th July, 2005, it will be an offence to sell, possess or supply magic mushrooms in all forms – whether dried, packaged or fresh – as Section 21 of the Drugs Act 2005 comes into force. The Drugs Act 2005 received Royal Assent on 7 April 2005. Section 21 has amended the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 so that any fungi containing psilocin  – commonly known as magic mushrooms – are controlled drugs.

It is already an offence to import, export, supply or possess dried or packaged mushrooms. However, mushrooms vendors have used an apparent loophole in the law to import and sell fresh magic mushrooms. The Government has now clarified the law on psilocin, the Class A hallucinogen in mushrooms, so that it extends to fresh mushrooms as well as prepared mushrooms. The new offence also covers the sale and importation of kits.

The last two years has seen a sudden increase in the number of shops selling magic mushrooms from only a handful to over 400 in the UK. HM Revenue and Customs estimate that a significant proportion of the UK magic mushroom market is fed through imports from the Netherlands.