David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and the author of Psychedelics, thinks this taps into a “growing recognition of the emotional value and traditional use of magic mushrooms plus acceptance of their safety compared with most other recreational drugs including alcohol”.
M&S introduces ‘shots’ said to bring you up – or down Retailer’s ‘functional juices’ contain lion’s mane and reishi, supposed to help reduce stress, fatigue and anxiety.
This week, magic mushrooms played a starring role in Sharon Horgan’s new spin-off, Amandaland, in which the antagonist Amanda finds herself consuming mushroom chocolates in a hot tub while trying to ingratiate herself with Harlesden’s hippest parents.
In 2023, it was reported that one in 100 people had taken hallucinogenic drugs in England and Wales within the past year, most of them older than Gen Z – with “functional chocolates” taking off among a certain type of middle-aged, middle-class consumer run ragged by modern life.
Marks & Spencer’s new range of drinks containing adaptogenic mushrooms make it the first major supermarket to sell “functional juices”.
