Mescaline

Mescaline, or peyote (fig. 7-17), is derived from the buttons of the peyote cactus that grows in Central America and the Southwestern United States. Mescaline is popular among the drug culture because it is thought to be a safe hallucinogen.

The use of mescaline and the chewing of dried peyote buttons have been practiced for centuries by various indian tribes, both as a medicine and as a part of religious ceremonies.

To facilitate ingestion by the user, peyote buttons are ground into powder, capsuled, and taken orally. Mescaline is available on the illicit market as a crystalline powder in capsules, or as a liquid in ampules or vials. Because of its bitter taste, the drug

Figure 7-17.-Peyote cactus.

is injected or eaten with food or beverage. A dose of 350 to 500 mg of mescaline produces illusions and hallucinations lasting from 5 to 12 hours and may create psychological dependence.

Psilocybin and Psiloeyn

Like the peyote cactus, psilocybe mushrooms (fig. 7-18) have been used for centuries in traditional indian rites. When they are eaten, these "scared" or "magic" mushrooms affect mood and perception in a manner

Figure 7-18.-Psilocybe mushroom.

similar to mescaline and LSD. Their active ingredients, psilocybin and psilocyn, are chemically related to LSD. They can now be made synthetically, but much of what is sold under these names on the

illicit market consists of other compounds.

The drug experience lasts about 6 hours. Neither drug produces physical dependence, but users have been known to develop a tolerance to them, requiring larger doses to achieve the stimulation desired.

Dimethyltryptamine

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is one of the tryptamine series and is found in the seeds of certain plants native to the West Indies and South America. The powdered seeds have long been used as snuff called cohoba. This drug has been produced synthetically by clandestine laboratories in the United States for the illicit market.

DMT is usually not taken orally. Its vapor is inhaled from the smoke given off by burning the ground seeds or synthetic powder mixed with tobacco, parsley leaves, or even marijuana. It can also be injected. "Trips" are short, but mental dependence may result. DMT produces effects similar to those of LSD, but much larger quantities are needed.

Bufotenin

Bufotenin is related chemically to DMT, but is extracted, generally, from the dried glandular secretions of certain toads. It may be taken by injection or used like snuff. Its symptoms are immediate and severe, since its use results in visual disturbances and alteration of time and distance perceptions.

Diethyltryptamine

Diethyltryptamine (DET) is also chemically related to DMT, but has not yet been found in plant life, It can easily be produced in a laboratory. Injected doses of 50 to 60 milligrams cause visual distortions, dizziness, and a vague sense of time. The experience may last from 2 to 3 hours.

DOM

DOM (also known as STP) appeared on the drug scene early in 1967. Underground newspapers promoted its use, claiming that STP was stronger than LSD. STP has been found to be about 1/15 as strong as LSD in the average dose and 200 times more powerful than mescaline. STP stands for serenity, tranquility, and peace in the drug culture. It has been found that mild doses lead to euphoria, and stronger doses lead to genuine hallucinations. Effects have been noted to last up to 10 hours.

STP is not found in nature, but is synthesized in laboratories and is placed in tablets slightly larger than LSD capsules or tablets. One STP form is called the "magic pumpkin seed" because of its long, yellow appearance.

Methylenedioxyamphetamine

Methylendeioxyamphetamine (MDA) is a relatively new hallucinogen that has appeared in powder and tablet form. Information as to its comparative strength is still uncertain, but it appears to be weaker in reaction than LSD.

Phencyclidine and Related Drugs

According to a consensus of drug treatment professionals, phencyclidine (PCP) now poses greater risks to the user than any other drug of abuse.

Sometimes called the "peace pill," but more commonly known as PCP, this drug is sold under at least 50 other names that reflect the range of its bizarre and volatile effects. These names include "angel dust," "crystal," "supergrass," "killer weed," "embalming fluid" and "rocket fuel." It is also frequently misrepresented as mescaline, LSD, or THC. In its pure form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water. Most PCP now contains contaminants resulting from its makeshift manufacture, causing the color to range from tan to brown and the consistency from a powder to a gummy mass. Although sold in tablets and capsules as well as in powder and liquid form, it is most commonly applied to a leafy material, such as parsley, mint, oregano, or marijuana, and smoked. See figure 7-19.

PCP is as variable in its effects as it is in its appearance. A moderate amount often produces, in the user, a sense of detachment, distance, and estrangement from his or her surroundings. Numbness, slurred or blocked speech, and a loss of coordination may be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability. A blank stare, rapid and involuntary eye movements, and an exaggerated gait are among the more common observable effects. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion as in a fun house

Figure 7-19.-Forms of phencyclidine (PCP).

mirror, and severe mood disorders may also occur- producing in some acute anxiety and a feeling of impending doom, in others paranoia and violent hostility. PCP is unique among popular drugs of abuse in its power to produce psychoses indistinguishable from schizophrenia. Although such extreme psychic reactions are usually associated with repeated use of the drug, they have been known to occur in some cases after only one dose and to last, or recur intermittently, long after the drug has left the body.