ATLANTA — The Georgia Poison Center is concerned that overdoses related to psilocybin mushrooms may rise as more cities and state decriminalize the drugs.
Dr. Gaylord Lopez, director of the Georgia Poison Center, says they have handled over 70 emergency calls related to psilocybin mushrooms in the past two and a half years.
One of the most troubling involved a young child
“We had a parent call us about a 4-year-old who accidently got into a bag of mushrooms. The parent recognized it immediately. We were quite concerned. The parent didn’t know how much the kid had taken. We decided to send the kid to the ER, where they observed him for a few hours. Fortunately he was okay,” said Lopez.
Hallucinogenic mushrooms played a role in a spectacular crash in Kennesaw early Sunday morning.
A man who told police he was “tripping on mushrooms” lost control of his car, hit a hill and went airborne
before crashing at a gas station just a few feet away from some fuel pumps. He told the clerk and police assassins were chasing him. He also said he consumed six mushrooms.
“There’s a number of potential effects that include paranoia, distorted thinking, visual and auditory hallucinations. This is some nasty stuff.” Dr. Lopez said.
In micro doses, psilocybin has been shown to be effective in treating PTSD and clinical depression. The drug is consumed in pill form and accompanied by intensive therapy. Emory University recently completed a research study involving several hundred participants. The findings are expected to be published later this year.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Man shot in car on busy stretch of Interstate 85, police say
- High school lacrosse player says racial slur was hurled at her during Cherokee County game
- Video shows man shot outside Metro Atlanta Dollar General -- but no one can find the victim
©2022 Cox Media Group
