Originally Posted by
WishIHadaSilvia
Opium is not something that grows straight out of the ground, it has to be processed.
Mushrooms are illegal because they drastically alter your perceptions of reality.
If you're interested in VA state Laws about marijuana then go here:
http://norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4570
Check out NCs state laws after you read VAs.....NC has basically decriminalized.
So because to make opium requires some minimal effor it is no longer a natural plant product? Mushrooms may have other effects, but the point is still the same: naturally occuring has nothing to do with whether something should be illegal or not.
NC decriminalized? Uh, not in Raleigh at least. Yes, <0.5oz doesn't get you in major trouble, but they do still arrest for it and they do still convict for it. The lesser penalties are a reflection of the realities of NC's financial status (people in NC won't put up with high fines and putting people in jail is too expensive for NC).