November has popped up and so have mushrooms. This year psilocybin mushrooms will probably attract thousands who desire to experience the brain-boggling effect of the hallucinogenic drug.

The effects of psilocybin can be campared to that of other hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, mescaline, etc.) but it is not the same. Jerry Beck of the Drug Information Center [U. of O.0], says that no lethal doseage has been established and that anywhere from 10 to 30 mushrooms will produce a good high.

Psilocybin is similar to LSD because both are termed neural transmitters. Experienced "shroomers" reprt that colors become much more pronounced when they are high and listening to music is more enjoyable than usual.

One of the most common psilocybin mushrooms in the area is the Psilcoybe semilanceata, commonly called Liberty Caps. These mushroms are usually found in tall grass or pastures, not necessarily on dung.

Many psilocybin mushrooms will bruise blue when picked due to the oxidation of the psilocybin. Beck stressed that no single criteria such as where they grow or thier color, should be used to determine whether a mushroom has psilocyin or not. He suggests it is best to have a field guide (Available at the Drug Information Center) when you go hunting to avoid picking up poisonous mushrooms.

"The best time to go is after a good rainfall," Beck says. "The growth rate of the shrooms vary with the weather - anywhere from a number of hours to two to three days, but we've had some people swear they saw them grow before their very eyes."

A sproe print is a common test to determine whether psilocybin is present or not. To obtain a spore print, place the mushroom spore side down on a piece of white paper. The following morning, if a lavender gray to purple color appears, the mushroom contains psilocybin.

There are a number of poisonous mushrooms that can cause sickness. If sickness occurs, it is advisable to see a doctor. Beck notes there are a number of toxic elements in poisonous mushrooms and there is no home remedy that is good for them all. "This underscores the need for a field guide," he says.

The Sheriffs OIffice reports complaints against mushroom pickers are coming in from all parts of the county during all hours of the day and night. In the last few days, 50 people have been arrested for criminal trespassing according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

According to Deputy George Chortos, One farmer arrested three at gunpoint.

On one field, we've picked up 17 trespassers in the last couple days.

Chortos refused to say where that field was.

Most of the offenders have been from outside Lane County. These people are receiving a minumum of one day in jail. Chortos said one mushroom picker was sentenced to thirty days.

Residents of Lane County caught trespassing have been receiving misdemeanor trespassing citations, according to the release. Chortos said the averagge citation is for $250 with $1500 being the maximum penalty.

Some of the mushroom pickers are looking for the psychedelic variety, according to Chortos, while others are looking for the edible kind. He notes the county has so far declined to press drug charges.

Possession of psilocybin mushrooms is a class C felony.

MUSHROOM POPPING PUTS OSU STUDENTS ON SICK LIST

Corvalis, Oregon (AP)Some ORegon STate University students trying to get high by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms are getting sick instead, school officials said.

The University's Office of Student Services has dealt with about 15 incidents of students picking mushrooms in local fields in the past few weeks, said Cheryl Graham, health educator.

In at least two of those cases, people had to be treated for poisoning at Good Samaritan Hospital. One person was violently ill.

Steve Carpenter, an Oregon State mycologist who specializes in the study of fungi, said the mushrooms most often sought locally as a hallucinogen is the Psilopcybe semilanceata, or "Liberty Cap."

The Psilocybe is sometimes confused with an often-deadly mushroom, the Galerina, which is common in the Pacific Northwest.

"I've had people bring those to me to ask if they're all right and I just stand backl and say, "no. Get rid of those things and clean your hands," he said.

Poisons in mushrooms come from a variety of chemicals and can vary from place to place and even among the same types of mushrooms, he said.

"A mushroom population here can be deadly poisonous and the same type of mushroom somewhere else might not bother yo at all," Carpenter said.

Possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Oregon is a class C felony, punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $100.000 fine.