How clever of you to recognize the Amanita muscaria mushroom depicted on our mural. The muralist chose the species not for any particular psychoactive properties it possesses, but purely for its aesthetic charm. And although it is undeniable that Amanita muscaria has been used as an entheogen for thousands of years in many parts of the world, our Eastern strain is better known for its toxicity than for any psychoactive effect.
Eat it and you will, quite literally, wish you were dead. Because we are a mushroom-cultivation-supply store, the sign you refer to is perhaps necessary to protect us from the rather draconian conspiracy laws currently on the books in the USA. These laws could conceivably hold our employees liable if someone purchases said supplies and then uses them to cultivate mushrooms containing psilocybin, a scheduled drug.
We like to think of the sign as the mushroom cultivator's version of "Don't ask, Don't tell.” Hopefully, this clarifies our position on both fine art and mind-altering chemicals. Thanks West Asheville for the warm welcome. Fresh mushrooms are coming soon.
— Joseph Allawos
Mushroom Central
Asheville
