The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) warned the public on Friday, May 24, that the use, sale, distribution and cultivation of "magic mushroom" is illegal and forbidden under Philippine laws.
In a statement, the PDEA explained that the key ingredient in "magic mushroom" is Psilocybin - sometimes referred to as "Katsubong" in some regions - and is classified as an illegal substance in the Philippines under the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) updated list of scheduled controlled substances.
"It is also included in the Schedule I of the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances. When ingested, psilocybin turns into psilocin, which can produce psychedelic effects similar to the hallucinogenic drug lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD," the PDEA noted.
On May 18, 2024, operatives of the PDEA Special Enforcement Service (SES); PDEA Regional Office I; Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit; and Bacnotan Police Station conducted a buy-bust operation in a beach resort in Barangay Galongen, Bacnotan, La Union where lollipops, chocolate bars and gummy bears suspectedly infused with magic mushrooms containing psilocybin, marijuana joints, ecstasy, marijuana kush and cocaine worth P145,000 were seized following the arrest of seven drug personalities, including a foreign national.
Reports disclosed that the apprehended suspects were growing the mushrooms while actively promoting the use of microdosing or a technique of taking a fraction of a regular dose for medicinal purposes.
"They reportedly advertise the alleged 'therapeutic benefits' of the mushrooms through social media and promoted by known influencers and personalities as a form of soul therapy during yoga sessions," the PDEA noted.
The agency has further strengthened its intelligence monitoring of psychedelic mushrooms in the market.