Teens on mind bending drugs

Two Northland high schools have called in police after students were found with mind-altering magic mushrooms.
Otamatea High School called in the police after a group of students took magic mushrooms at school with one ending up in hospital. Kerikeri High School called in police on Wednesday after a student was caught in possession of the mushrooms.
The magic mushroom season is in full swing in Northland and Whangarei Hospital's emergency department this week confirmed there had been a "cluster" of teenagers admitted to hospital recently after taking the hallucinogenic fungi.
The mushroom's active ingredient, psilocybin, is a class A controlled drug with a chemical make-up similar to that of LSD and can cause seizures and illness or lead to harmful behaviour.
Otamatea principal Haydn Hutching said he was deeply concerned four Year 10 students brought the mushrooms to school.
The stoned students were discovered after an ill and clearly "spaced-out" female student approached the community liaison officer and asked for a ride home, Mr Hutching said.
The girl was sent to Whangarei Hospital by ambulance, but was released later the same night. The parents of three other students were called to the school and police were informed, Mr Hutching said.
He said any student caught under the influence of, or in possession of, illegal drugs was referred to police and Rubicon Youth Alcohol and Drug Support service which conducted random drug tests on the student during a period of 12 months.
"Personally I think magic mushrooms are excessively dangerous because you never know what type of effect you're going to get and I know of people who have destroyed themselves (using magic mushrooms).
"Hopefully it will have served as a major lesson for all of the students."
Kerikeri police Sergeant Phil Le Comte said because of the age of the Kerikeri High student, it was likely to be a Youth Court matter dealt with by family group conference.
Kerikeri High School deputy principal Mike Clent said he saw an exchange happen between two students and seized the mushrooms. One of the students had been suspended and the other was waiting for an outcome of a meeting.
"We have taken this very seriously. We don't tolerate drugs at school and have a strong anti-drug message," Mr Clent said.
Whangarei Hospital's emergency department clinical director, Mike Roberts, said there had been a "cluster" of teenagers admitted to hospital in recent days because of magic mushrooms.
Figures released by the Ministry of Education show in 2009 (the most recent figures available), 158 Northland students were stood down, 64 suspended and 13 excluded because of drug-related incidents.
Earlier this week, four teenagers who, high on hallucinogenic mushrooms, ended up spending 11 hours in the Whangarei police cells after a night of disorderly behaviour and burglary.