MalayMail
Nothing magic about these mushrooms: Poisons Centre says vape pens laced with ketamine, meth, designer drugs instead
By Justin Ong | 18 August 2024

A file photograph shows a person using an electronic vaporiser, often called vapes. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — Claims that vape pens were being sold with psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in so-called “magic mushrooms”, were false, according to the National Poisons Centre.

It said tests of vape pens samples sent for its evaluation showed that none contained any traces of psilocybin.

"Instead, these samples are suspected to contain synthetic drugs that are more dangerous and can cause severe poisoning symptoms and potentially be fatal,” the centre said in a post online yesterday.

Rather than psilocybin, it said it instead found drugs such as:

• Ketamine — dissociative anaesthetic used medically for anaesthesia and pain relief, but it is also known for its potential misuse as a hallucinogenic recreational drug. It is also the drug found in actor Matthew Perry’s system.
• Phencyclidine — another dissociative anaesthetic known for its hallucinogenic effects and potential for causing severe psychological disturbances, and it is often abused recreationally.
• Methamphetamine — commonly known as meth, the drug is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, and causes euphoria.

This is opposed to mushrooms containing psilocybin, which an induce altered states of consciousness, visual and auditory hallucinations, and changes in perception.

While psilocybin may lead to anxiety, paranoia, or panic attacks, it is not considered addictive or direct physical harms.

The Poisons Centre warned Malaysians against trying such vapes under the mistaken belief that they contained psilocybin, saying that the aforementioned illegal drugs could be gateways to harder narcotics.

Claims persist about vapes containing “magic mushrooms”, including news reports purporting that these were being offered by individual puffs of the vapes for several ringgit a time.

The belief remains prevalent despite the lack of any vapes found containing psilocybin, even though reports continually allege their ubiquity.