Shane Hegarty's encyclopaedia of moden Ireland
When the row over "magic" mushrooms bloomed a couple of weeks ago, a lot of people were pretty annoyed at the outcome. They had discovered that all along they had been legally doing something they had thought was actually illegal. Only, by the time they realised this, it was illegal. And they'd spent all that time truffling about golf courses in early autumn when they could have just strolled in off the street and bought it over the counter in 50 shops across the country. All of sudden, gnawing on a "magic" mushroom seemed about as illicit as sucking helium from a balloon. Although, it must have fostered a kind of student generation gap, with older students chastising their younger colleagues: "Oh it's easy for you, going into a shop to buy your neatly packed Philosopher's Stone Truffles. In my day we had to get up at the crack of dawn to pick them ourselves. We'd have to dodge golf balls while up to our elbows in dew. It was hell."
The mushrooms had been sold by "head shops", unique places gamely trying to set up mini-Amsterdams on the Irish high street - although not, you understand, encouraging you to set up a mini-Amsterdam in your own home. They go out of their way to ensure that there is no confusion over the purpose of the things they sell.
They might sell the hydroponics equipment needed to grow cannabis. They might sell seeds. You might be able to walk into a shop and ask from a packet of Merlin's Dreams and two bags of Purple Widow. They might sell high-powered lights. They might sell copies of High Times magazine. They might sell pipes. And cigarette papers. And have a stack of flyers advertising take-away pizza. However, individually, none of these things is illegal. Obviously, if a person takes these home and puts them all together in some deeply illegally combination, that's their problem. They wouldn't dare condone that kind of thing.
They believe themselves to be a gallant lot, constantly badgered by the Gardaí, the Department of Justice and excitable students. They dispel so many of the stereotypes surrounding cannabis simply by opening the shop on time every day, doing complicated maths at the end of the tax year, and in becoming experts on the complex legal status of recreational drugs. That they survive in relatively large numbers when around them restaurants close down all the time, surely puts a lie to the cliche.
Although, if more restaurants were to open beside head shops, maybe not so many of them would go out of business. Not that they would condone that kind of thing, you understand.
By the way, none of the above is intended to encourage the taking of illegal drugs. All of the information should be read independently. If you wish to take it home and put it all together, that's your private business.