A photo of the fresh addictive “magic mushroom” (The Denver Post courtesy)
By Junex Doronio
CEBU CITY — Staunch anti-communist crusader Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. is now training his guns against illegal drugs, particularly the new craze called “magic mushrooms.”
Alcover rang the alarm to the Cebu City Police Office and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7, saying that drug addicts now prefer to patronize “magic mushrooms ” that contain psilocybin, instead of marijuana and shabu.
Psilocybin or magic mushrooms are naturally occurring and are consumed for their hallucinogenic effects. They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time, and emotions.
“When ingested, the chemical turns into psilocin, which can produce psychedelic effects similar to the hallucinogenic drug named lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD,” according to a piece of information from the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).
Alcover had admitted to being a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Realizing the futility of armed struggle and renouncing violence, Alcover later became a staunch anti-communist crusader.
It was gathered from the information posted by PDEA that psilocybin is a hallucinogenic chemical found in certain mushrooms that are also known as “magic mushrooms.”
According to the Cebu City Public Information Office, Alcover received this information from a source, who told him authorities in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental continue to go after those selling and using the magic mushrooms. (ai/mnm)
