Hallucinogenic mushrooms: the challenge of responding to naturally occurring substances in an electronic age

Introduction

Over the past decade, media interest in the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms appears to have been driven by open marketing of these mushrooms and by the legal changes made in some countries to prohibit this trade. Standard epidemiological methods for monitoring drug use can be slow to identify emerging trends and it is recognised that they need to be complimented by more sensitive methods. The challenge is to identify new drug fashions, which tend to start within small subpopulations or in limited geographical areas, and assess their potential for more widespread diffusion.

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