FIle this one under, "things tourists probably won't believe". As of December 1st of this year, barring some miracle, magic mushrooms will be banned in the Netherlands. Specifically that means no more shops, better known as smart shops, selling hallucinogenic mushrooms. A decision which has naturally stirred up alot of anger among smart shop owners, the labor party, and the mayor of Amsterdam, among others.

This decision goes back to an accident last year involving a French tourist who killed herself while high on mushrooms. That set off a series of events on a government level, led by a slim majority in parliament who aim to add mushrooms to the list of forbidden drugs under the category of opium.

This type of announcement will likely not be known by alot of tourists who appear in the Netherlands over the coming year, thinking that besides coffee shops, they can also pop into one of the many smart shops throughout the country. Tell your friends, as of December 1st, say goodbye to legal 'shrooms.