Retailers stocking "magic" mushrooms reacted with dismay yesterday to the news that the drug was to be outlawed.
"It's proof that this is a nanny state," said Paul Griffin, whose shop, Funguy, in Temple Bar, Dublin, has been selling the mushrooms since it opened in November last year.
"I don't think there is any danger at all from them," he said. "There's always danger with excess, but you can walk into a bar, sit down and drink three-quarters of a bottle of whiskey, and the barman will not advise you of the dangers of that whiskey. 'Magic' mushrooms are just an easy one to target."
Until yesterday afternoon it was legal to sell raw "magic" - or psychoactive - mushrooms. However, under the Misuse of Drugs Act it was an offence to possess or sell them once they had been treated, either by drying or cooking. The mushrooms have been freely available in raw form at dozens of shops around the country.
Although Funguy also sells clothes, the mushrooms account for about 90 per cent of its income, Mr Griffin said. "Now I'll have to diversify, or go under. The rents are very dear in Temple Bar, and the mushrooms are paying the rent."
The shop sells four "varieties" of mushroom - Thai, McKennai, Ecuadorian and Golden teachers - all of which are imported from Holland and cost €25 for 30g. "Magic" mushroom truffles are priced €15 for 12g.
Mr Griffin believes that the measure will prove counterproductive.
"The underworld is just going to get it [ the business] now. They're going to grow mushrooms, they're going to dry them, they're going to put them in capsules.
"And with capsules, who is going to know what's in them? The underworld are just going to run amok with this now. They see there's money in it."
Another Dublin stockist, The Head Store, has been raided by gardaí several times in the past year. According to Brian, an employee, the shop has a strict over-18s policy and does not sell more than one portion of 20g to most customers.
"We feel if it's regulated, then we can tell people about them, unlike if they're pushed underground," he said. "If we think someone is coming in here just to get off their head, we won't serve them. But we get all sorts coming in and they're mature about it. It's a bad day for personal freedom."
Alcohol is a more pressing problem, he added. "People on mushrooms are much less likely to get aggressive than someone drinking. Ninety-nine per cent of the time it's a very calming, relaxing experience."
According to Paul Griffin, problems arise only when "magic" mushrooms are taken in excess. "I've been taking the mushrooms for a long, long time and I've never felt I could fly or never did anything stupid."