My partner, magic mushrooms and our holiday

[Lm4065]

My partner micro doses magic mushrooms daily for mental health reasons (depression). I don’t have an issue with this.
however we are planning our first holiday. Nothing is booked yet but they have said they are planning to take some mushrooms for use there which makes sense but it hadn’t crossed my mind.
im not comfortable travelling with someone who is carrying something illegal. I don’t want to be implicated or get into trouble. I would lose my job.
my partner understands to a point but says this is not what the airport security are looking for and they won’t get caught.
I agree the risk is low however that’s not the point. They are asking me to take a big risk, and even if we don’t get caught I will be super stressed in the run up to the flight, during and whilst waiting for the case.
my partner is playing down the risk but this is not something I’m willing to compromise on.
I know my partner has travelled with friends when carrying these drugs in their bag and the friends have not had an issue with it.
does anyone have any advice Please .

I would take separate flights.
It's not worth the risk to me.
No way would I want to be banged up abroad.

You need to find out what the rules are regarding this drug in the country you're planning to travel to. And yes, of course different countries have different rules! What planet are you living on that you think everywhere will follow UK law?

They are class A drugs in the UK. Some countries carry the death penalty.
I had a family member put in prison abroad in the 90s for a similar thing. It took 8 years to get him out and he caught TB in jail.
It is just stupid to even try.

I don't even take my prescription meds without the official box. I have one of those faces, it seems, so take no risks.

(Twitches at having been selected for a random bag search in West Africa with 3 men with guns . To be fair I think my sweaty dirty laundry was worse for them than it was for me, amd they were very nice really.)

Yes, look up the rules. Travelling to a country where drug possession leads to 10+ years jail time (eg some Asian countries) - no way. Going to the Netherlands - maybe.

Is he bloody stupid or what. You dont take any drugs on a plane ever. Im not anti mushrooms by any means but taking them abroad....hell no.
Go to Amsterdam instead, you can do truffles and smoke as much as you want there without ending up in prison.

Op you sound completely clueless.
You need to research this as 'sorry officer I didn't know' is not going to work in any drug trafficking curcumstances.
Or 'it's personal use' also does not apply.
Trafficking drugs can carry serious penalties and navigating a foreign legal system is absolutely one the hardest things to do. It is expensive, takes years and they won't give two shits about you or your reasons.
Start with finding out the penalties and do some digging before you walk into a nightmare. Or you might not get caught, but personally I would never risk this from having experienced a family member being caught for a similar offence.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_for_drug_trafficking

Also, even if he got through on the way out, wouldn't the worry of being caught while on holiday or on the way back negate any positive effect of them?

What about taking an alternative, legally prescribed pills for depression?

If I were you I’d book myself separately or even refuse to go. I’d never risk that.

So mumsnet to end up scared out of your wits and hearing stories of 10 years in prison with a side of TB!

I would never risk taking drugs through an airport. Not ever.
My ex (many years ago) got hauled in for a strip-search, on the way back from holiday in Spain, because one of their party had (no actual drugs) but was carrying a penknife which had been used to cut up cannabis. This was detected by sniffer dogs, and the whole lot of them were strip searched. They were let go, many hours later - I don't know what would've happened if they'd found something though.
I mean, you may be lucky, but I wouldn't risk. And you'd probably spend your whole holiday worrying about being caught on the way home...

The clue is in the 'micro'. I don't think you could "get off your face" if you swallowed the whole bottle ! Might make things a bit sparklier at most....
they are legal where I live, as supplements and as cultivated crops, grown by people who are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the culture.
i still wouldn't take them to UK tho, even in my checked luggage because the UK laws about shrooms generally are draconian. And generally I think to err on the side of caution is advisable in any case with any 'ambiguous' product.

Would not contemplate for a moment getting on a flight with this person or anywhere there would be a security screen. No way.

Completely different but I managed to forget to pack my anti-depressants in the summer when we went on holiday. I was fine whilst on holiday and managed the lowered levels when I got home by adjusting my dose upwards for a few days. I had a few bad days but nothing I couldn't handle. Could he do similar?

Agreed

Seperate flights. Sorted

No way would I risk it!

Whether you will be arrested if a travel companion is caught with illegal drugs depends on the specific circumstances and the laws of the country you are in. You could face serious legal consequences, especially if there is evidence you were involved or aware of the drugs.
Factors Determining Your Liability

• Knowledge and Intent: Authorities will investigate whether you knew your companion was carrying drugs. If there is evidence you were aware of the drugs or involved in a plan, you are likely to be arrested and prosecuted. Not knowing does not automatically guarantee you are safe, as you can be charged even if the drugs didn't belong to you.
• Location of Drugs:
• Shared areas: If drugs are found in shared luggage or a shared vehicle's common area, everyone in the group may be considered in "constructive possession" and could face charges.
• Personal belongings: If the drugs are clearly in your companion's personal, exclusive bag or on their person, you are less likely to be charged, provided there is no other evidence linking you to the crime.
• Circumstantial Evidence: Law enforcement will consider all evidence, including travel itineraries, communication records (e.g., phone messages, emails), and witness testimony to determine if you had any involvement or prior knowledge.
• Country's Laws: Drug laws vary significantly by country, with some having extremely strict penalties, including the death penalty. Some jurisdictions have "guilt by association" laws that can be applied in drug trafficking cases. It's crucial to remember that you are subject to the laws of the country you are entering.

I would be traveling separately to him and I would be wary of what country that you are visiting. Some middle eastern countries are very strict regarding drug and drug use. On the unlikely but possible chance that a cleaner in your hotel found them in your room and reported it then you could both get into trouble.

Well you learn something every day. Mushrooms are Class A. Have they always been?

There is clinical evidence in the form of trials on the positive impact of psilocybin (the chemical in mushrooms) to treat mental health and some other issues, similar to medical cannabis. I thought this was pretty widely known now? It’s not comparable to crack or heroin lol. I’m of the view we should follow the Portuguese approach and legalise everything but I would be wary of someone trying to bring them through an airport. If you book separately though I don’t see how you’ll be affected apart from him being detained and you having to go on holiday alone.

If you had been through watching your family trying to get a family member out of prison for this, dealt with foreign legal systems, seen your nan take all her money out of her pension to pay legal fees and corrupt police, dealt with Prisoners Abroad, and when they got home, been to their bedside whilst in a coma due to weakened lungs from TB caught in a foreign jail. Then you would also warn others.

@Lm4065 No . Just no. I am living in the Caribbean , and like most countries, drugs are really a huge deal. At our airport in Punta Cana, there are always drug dogs (you may not see them at arrival as they are generally behind the scenes in the luggage area, but trust me..they are there) A jail is not where your partner wants to spend his holiday! plus potentially alot more. Here is a story of a Canadian, and he was not even guilty of anything as it was a mistake..name SLIGHTLY different on suitcase. JUST NO. this was not this mans fault, but shows what can happen if they find drugs

Thats not how mushrooms work,

Get a tub of medicinal mushrooms from amazon, grind up his own stash, add to the contents of the medicinal mushrooms job done, they will not, and i repeat not bat an eyelid, this is not what they are looking for, they look smell and taste exactly like any other dried mushroom, they cant be detected in any normal drugs test, only if looking for that specific compound and only when it is active in the body ( around 8 hours)