THE sale of magic mushrooms by the Festival Trading Company shop in Swindon raises two questions.

The first is whether people should be free to do as they wish as long as they do not hurt others, or whether the law should regulate people's lives in a bid to prevent them from risking harm to themselves. There are valid arguments for both points of view.

The second question, however, is far less open to philosophical debate.

Quite simply, are these mushrooms, which critics say can cause mental problems, illegal or not?

Currently, magic mushrooms are legal in their natural state but become a Class A drug on a legal par with heroin and LSD if they are prepared in any way whether by being made into tea or dried on a windowsill.

This is a ridiculous situation, and one which our lawmakers should address immediately.

Magic mushrooms should be either an illegal drug, in which case anybody dealing in them should be treated accordingly, or not, in which case their sale should attract no more attention than that of any other mushroom.

But they cannot be both.