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Audio CDs of past Mind States conference presentations are now available
featuring lectures and original interviews with presenters such as:
Pablo Amaringo, Susan Blackmore, Crystal & Spore, Erik Davis, Rick Doblin, Earth & Fire Erowid,
Alex & Allyson Grey, Charles Grob, Stan Grof, Charles Hayes, Sandra Karpetas, Mark McCloud,
Ralph Metzner, David Nichols, Mark Pesce, Nick Sand, Zoe Seven, Sasha & Ann Shulgin,
and many others. For details, see:
www.musqaria.com/mindstates
Submissions: Your input is what keeps this journal alive. Dont hesitate to
share your experiences, inspirations, and questions. Confidentiality respected;
after transcription, all correspondence is shredded and recycled or incinerated.
Although we may edit for brevity or clarity, keep those fascinating letters coming in!
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Cash, check or money order made out to The Entheogen Review should be sent to
TER, POB 19820, Sacramento, CA 95819. Please notify us if your address changes.
KNOWLEDGE
KNOWLEDGE
KNOWLEDGE
KNOWLEDGE
Contributors
Albert Hofmann
Rick Doblin
Charles Grob
John Halpern
Michael Mithoefer
Andrew Sewell
Casey William Freeblood Hardison
Daniel J. Siebert
Dana Larsen
Susan Blackmore
Dr. Wily
Benjamin Thomas
Jon Hanna
Jonathan Ott
K. Trout
Ima B. Leever
D.P., CA
Mulga
Clear
Scotto
David Aardvark
CONTENTS
EROWID
www.erowid.org
At the end of 2003, The Entheogen Review had fallen behind in production, and we were unable to get
the Winter issue out that year. In 2004, while we had hoped to get caught up, we again were only able to get three
issues produced that year, placing us two issues behind. In 2005, spring and summer passed, and not only were we
unable to get caught up in production, but we didnt get any issues produced for the first half of the year. Subscribers wrote in, wondering what was happening and offering suggestions. The most often suggested idea was that we
change the frequency, having The Entheogen Review appear only three times yearly, or twice yearly, or even as a
larger annual yearbook (similar to the Italian publication Altrove). A formal change in the publication schedule
may indeed be an approach that we decide to take at some point in the future. But as we considered the increasing
weight of the backlogged issues, and our lack of enthusiasm for having to rush through producing that much
material if we were ever to get caught up, the path that we should walk became obvious: take a year off.
And so, with the timely release of this Autumnal Equinox 2005 issue, we have absolved ourselves from the pressures of past debts and returned to the present. There will be no Fall 2004, Winter 2004, Spring 2005, or
Summer 2005 issues. What does this mean for our subscribers? Simply that we will extend your subscription
for a year. For example, if your subscription would have expired with the Autumnal Equinox 2004 issue, then it
currently expires with this issue. If it would have expired with the Winter Solstice 2004 issue, then it will expire
with our Winter 2005 issue. And so on. We have altered the codes on the mailing labels to reflect this change, so
you can still see when your subscription will expire: F05, W05, V06, S06, etc. For ease of indexing, pagination for
the last two issues of 2005 will continue forward from the Summer 2004 issue, and a combined two-year index will
appear in the Winter 2005 issue.
In other publishing news, we have finally been able to scare up the funds to reprint our monograph Salvia Divinorum
and Salvinorin A: The Best of The Entheogen Review 19922000. While the main text of this reprint is unchanged,
minor alterations have been made to the resources appendix in order to bring it up-to-date. Due to the high cost of
short print runs, the retail price for this book has increased slightly. It now sells for $29.00 (USA), $34.00 (foreign),
postpaid. We only have a very limited stock of these, and may not reprint it again.
Finally, we want to announce the availability of an exhaustive index for the years that Jim DeKorne was editor of
The Entheogen Review, from 19921997. This index was manually produced by ER contributor S. Bear. It took him
years to complete and is clearly a labor of lovea tribute to the publication. We are pleased to be able to offer such
a useful addition for the first time. This 32-page index can be downloaded for free from www.entheogenreview.com,
or a printed version is available for $6.00, postpaid.
81
E A T
PROBLEM CHILD
& WONDER DRUG
JANUARY 1315, 2006
Held at the Convention Center in Basel, Switzerland
Since April 19, 1943, the day that Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann discovered the psychoactive effects of LSD, millions of people all over
the world have experienced a higher reality with
profound and psychological insights and spiritual renewal; created innovative social transformation, music, art, and fashion; were healed
from addiction and depression; and experienced
enlightened insights into the human consciousness. At this symposium, experts will present
an in-depth review of all aspects of this unique
phenomenon: informing and discussing the
history, experiences, and implications, as well
as assessing the risks and benefits of this most
potent of all psychoactive substances.
Presentations will be simultaneously or consecutively translated into German or English.
For more information and to register, see:
www.lsd.info
82
Albert Hofmann
Speaks
in conversation with Rick Doblin, Charles Grob, John Halpern,
Michael Mithoefer, and Andrew Sewell (shown left, top to bottom)
83
substance, plant, and it was always used in a sacred environment with priests, by priests. And LSD belongs to these safe
plants. One must realize it is not just a stimulant, or just a
sleeping pill. It really changes the very heart of the human
being, which is the consciousness. And one must always be
conscious of this fact.
Rick: Serotonin?
Albert: No, no mon dieu what is it?
Andrew: Ergotamine?
Albert: Nicotinic acid diethylamide, do you know the name
for this? It is
Andrew: NAD.
Albert: coramine! I thought it could be used like coramine
because the structure of lysergic acid is the nicotinic acid
structure. And therefore I prepared an analogue of this
coramine, which is this nicotinic acid diethylamide. I prepared the diethylamide of lysergic acid because of this chemical similarity. And I expected thislike coramineto be a
stimulant of heart and lung, a stimulant of circulation. That
was because I believed in analogy of chemical structure. And
it was a heart stimulant and not a stimulant for breathing,
but it became extremely, as you know, what it is! (laughs)
Rick: (laughs) And an even more important stimulant of the
mind.
Albert: Yes, yes, it is really. And what I always must say is,
one should realize, such kinds of medicines have been used
for over 3000 years, always as sacred drugs. Never just as other
things. It was always sacred, like ololiuqui and mushrooms.
It was always for contact with higher forces, with our higher
consciousness. And we should realize this. Why did people
3000 years ago use mushrooms and the ololiuqui? That was a
special kind of substance. They realized it changes our consciousness. And a consciousness is the heart of the human
being. And it quite different from just a stimulant, or just
something sleep-producing. It is a change of our consciousness.It cannot be compared with others. It is the same
imagine in fact ololiuqui, it is practically this very old
84
Rick: This is a little bit out of order, but Charlie could you
tell Albert about the efforts in the United States to legalize
the religious use of ayahuasca? Because, I think that the
kind of centers youre talking about, Albert, they may be
possible.
Charles S. Grob: Well, Ive done research with one of the
ayahuasca churches of Brazil, the Unio do Vegetal, or UDV.
And in the early 90s, they established Center in the United
States, primarily in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1999, Customs
and the DEA confiscated their ayahuasca, preventing them
from conducting their ceremonies. The UDV in the United
States filed suit against the Justice Department. In 2001, the
case was heard in federal court, and to my surprise, the federal judge ruled in favor of the UDV, primarily on the issue
of health and safety. The federal judge ruled that the government had not established that there were health and safety
risks with ayahuasca. The federal judge did not agree with
the UDV, however, that they were entitled to equal protection under law in regards to the Native American Church;
that the Native American Church was a discrete nation,
and had made a separate treaty with the United States. In
any event, the Justice Department appealed the federal
judges ruling, and it went to the Circuit Court of Appeals
in Denver. It was heard by a panel, the panel ruled 2 to 1 in
favor of the UDV. Again it was appealed by the Justice
85
Yage.Net specializes in
the development and hosting
of entheogen-related web sites
with an emphasis
on ethnobotanical suppliers.
Were also home
to the largest collection
of ayahuasca resources
on the web.
www.yage.net
Currently hosting sites for
86
John: When I saw you at the last European College for the Study of Consciousness conference, I had to apologize to you for not speaking any German.
Now I apologize that all I can say is entschuldigen Sie and sprechen sie Deutsch. So
its still in English. You heard from Dr. Andrew Sewell, about the progress were
making in looking at what people are telling us; that LSD in particular, and psilocybin, do something that no current standard medications offer for these people.
It may truly alter and improve cluster headache, which is the worst headache of
them all; people commit suicide to get away from this type of headache. So its
compelling. Its just the sort of research project that somebody involved in academic research for helping people, lives to discover, I think: that we might be able
to offer a true relief for people who dont really have anywhere to turn anymore.
And so, your problem child may be a savior for a very important population of
patients. Andrew didnt mention it, but hes a psychiatrist and a neurologist. I
think thats what it would take, because obviously LSD should be administered
by physicians most familiar with the psychological components of the acute effects of LSD. Fortunately we have somebody whos an expert on headaches working with us on this, too. Its really quite promising; weve held initial meetings
with the administration here at Harvards McClean Hospital. Theyre supportive of it because theyve met some of these patients, and theyve even seen a video
of what its like for a person to go through the traumatic experience of this type of
headache. Its truly a terrifying thing to behold. And to see a group of people seeking us out that were not from any drug reform movement, or advocacy movement; they came from this community of support for people who have cluster
headachethat they sought us out because they discovered that this really improves their lives, its just remarkable to hear this from these people. So the credibility of how this is starting out goes a long way. I think thats the first part of it.
The other part is trying of course to make sure we have the LSD to use, and Im
glad to report that I think that we will have Drs. Yensen and Dryer transferring
to us the Sandoz LSD that they still retain, thats from a study thats still on hold
with the FDA. So Sandoz LSD may eventually be used in this coming project for
cluster headache. I thought youd be pleased to hear that. The LSD was taken up
under argon, so it still should be pure and active. This study will, Im sure, be
quite controversial, when it starts getting press attention. But we will be focusing
on that its about these patients and helping them, and being good, caring physicians, nothing more, nothing less. The political side of it I will leave to our other
friends. And, hopefully that will change the way this country and the world takes
a look at your problem child. We should be reporting back to you more good
news, I think over this year.
The other study that Im actively working on right now is similar to one that Dr.
Grob is going to tell you about with his project. I have FDA approval to give MDMA
to cancer patients who have less than a year to live, and have a diagnosis of Associated Anxiety Disorder. It will be with twelve individuals, and there will be six
non-drug sessions, and two sessions where people will be receiving MDMA in
conjunction with psychotherapy. We will be tracking whether this changes their
sense of pain, their use of medication, their use of benzodiazepine anti-anxiety medications. And we will be videotaping the sessions, primarily to deepen the psychotherapy
the patient can take it home and watch itbut also for training purposes, and even in case theres something that might
go wrong. We expect to be able to start that study in the next
two years. Then
Rick: Wait, start the study in the next two years? We hope to
start within the
Albert: Yes. It was used for people who did not, could not,
were not able to respond to analysis; with LSD an opening
could be created by the psychiatrist.
Albert: Yes.
THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW, POB 19820, SACRAMENTO, CA 95819-0820, USA
87
Rick: I think this will make our study more acceptable, too,
to the American public, because were working with people
who are very sympathetic to the general population. Starting to work with war-related post-traumatic stress disorder,
and then also working with cancer patients, I think were trying to show that these substances and these states of mind
dont inherently make people drop out of society, or want to
start a counter culturethat we can weave them into our
culture as it is, and as it will grow. Hopefully, we wont be
rejected and repressed the way it was 40 years ago, when this
all came up so strong; and that now, I think, after several
generations, hopefully the culture is better able to accept and
integrate these states of mind and the ways were trying to
help people with them.
Michael: Its been interesting to me thatyou know, our
numbers are still very small, butthe people who have come
to these studies have not been people who have used a lot of
these kinds of drugs. Theyve used a lot of prescription medications, but theyre peoplemany of themto whom it
never occurred that they would use any substance like this.
But they were so desperate to find a solution and their therapist referred them, and theyve gone back to rather conventional lives, but with many fewer symptoms. The experience
so far is very consistent with that, that these can be used
in the context of mainstream culture, without causing disruption in peoples lives, but with causing possibly a real
improvement.
Albert: Uh, Rick? Yes. I thank you very, very much for helping to bring this material, Sandoz documentation, to the
Internet. And I ask you, wouldnt it be very important to analyze this material; I am sure that many experimental results
could be used for the future.
Rick: Yes, I think thats very true
Albert: It is very important, this material, with three to four
thousand items. I am very, very happy that you brought it to
the Internet, and why not use this material? And analyze
it and see? I think very much experiential experimental
material is contained there.
Rick: Yes. I think actually as part of our application to the
FDA, to the McLean Hospital institutional review board,
for the LSD study, and the psilocybin study with cluster headaches, we will be reviewing all of the literature as it relates to
the safety of the compound, and anything we can see about
its use for headaches, and then well also continue on with
Andrew: Also, theres the issue that one dose of LSD has an
effect, that makes it different from conventional medications
that have to be taken every day. If one LSD session is the
equivalent of, say, twelve psychotherapy sessions, the total
amount of time youre spending on it is the same.
Rick: Ayahuasca is in a sense that sort of a drug, its like a
two- or three-hour LSD experience, somewhat similaralthough Charlie says its closer to mushroomsbut there are
short-acting psychedelics, and they do have a role in their
religious use. I think that the Unio do Vegetal wouldnt be
able to use a longer-acting drug as easily. Although the Native American Church, again, has used peyote in all-night
ceremonies. So I think the value of the time that youre in the
altered state, LSD, just the way it is, is tremendously potentially therapeutic and inspirational and spiritual, and I dont
think that thats really a reason to try to abandon it and look
for a shorter-acting substance. I mean, MDMA is shorteracting, and it has a therapeutic use, but I think, in these meditation centers of the future, all these psychedelic clinics, that
there will be a spectrum of substances that people could go
there to experience. And that the therapists will be trained
to work with a range of substances. They may start with
MDMA, or move to ayahuasca, and then move to LSD; there
may be a sequence, but I think that LSD just exactly the way
it is will have a very important role in these meditation centers and psychedelic clinics.
Michael: I think our experience with MDMA supports the
value of a longer time of a process, because even though the
MDMA lasts four or five hours, were with the people for
eight hours, then they spend the night, and use that time in
a meditative way with a support person there. Then we meet
with them again for an hour and a half the next morning. So
actually, its a 24-hour experience for them all together, and
I think thats tremendously valuable.
Albert: Mm, hmm.
Rick: Charlie, would you like to explain about your study
now?
Charles: Sure.
Mike: Oh excuse me, Im going to have to get off, but Im
sorry to miss what youre going to say. Ive really enjoyed this
discussion, I thank you all.
(Goodbyes)
90
Charles: Were with them for six hours. Thats the structure of the session, and that appears to be quite adequate for
what were doing. The subjects weve worked with thus far
felt they got a great deal out of the experience. I would say
moving beyond six hours becomes, logistically, more challenging for the treatment facilitator. Youd almost have to
have teams ready, one team replacing the other. A ten, twelve
hour, closely-monitored experience would be pretty arduous
for the doctor and the nurse team. I would also say that, Ive
studied ayahuasca quite a bit, its generally at maximum a
four hour experiencebut, the subjective sense of time certainly slows down. So, what objectively may be measured at
four hours could be an eternity for the individual in the experience. Certainly the report I hear over and over again is
that tremendously valuable information is gained during
even the short time period compared to LSD. I dont necessarily think its essential to have a marathon session, although
there might be some advantages in particular situations.
Rick: Do you see any arguments against LSD or psilocybin
because they last so long?
Charles: No, not necessarily, its a relative issue. Certainly,
its therapeutic capacities need to be explored, and compared
to these other medicines. It would not be a prohibitive
factor, its a logistical consideration.
Rick: Now, one other question, this is also for you, John,
because the history of the research working with the terminally ill is really with LSD. Starting Eric Kast in the early
60s, and then Aldous Huxley, who took LSD
Charles: Its mostly with LSD, although Grof did work with
dipropyltryptamine, which is somewhat shorter-acting.
Rick: So now were starting with psilocybin and MDMA, and
I think that, along this line, we should think about adding
at some point, after we have the cluster headache study approveda group that receives LSD. Im wondering, John or
Charlie, your intuition: do you think there will be significant therapeutic differences between psilocybin and MDMA
and LSD, or do they all more or less open people up to their
emotions, and more or less act in a similar way?
John: Well, I think it relates to what Charlie was mentioning earlier, harking back to the few lasting positive contributions we have from the days of Leary, which is set and setting. And as we gain more direct experience in working with
these compounds again, were going to be better able to help
prepare our subjects, our patients, for realizing the full potential of the treatment. And so, any of those substances can
induce no sense of spirituality or connection with something
greater. It really is the intention that goes into it, and the
preparation, and of course the setting, and well be hard at
work to try to optimize those. Of all of the substances,
MDMA is starkly different than LSD and psilocybin, because
theres preservation of ego, even in higher doses. Especially
with larger doses of LSD and psilocybin, thats a more difficult thing to try to prepare individuals forthat they may
lose their sense of self, as part of the process of the experience.
Charles: I agree. I also think that my best sense of this would
be that all of these substances will have significant value over
not utilizing this model of treatment at all. Nevertheless,
within this model I think were going to see some distinct
differences between MDMAa phenethylamine empathogenon the one hand, and LSD or psilocybinclassic psychedelic substanceson the other.
Rick: To really experimentally get at that, would either of
you be interested in a future study where we have a group
that gets randomized either to LSD or psilocybin or MDMA?
Charles: Sure. In the best of all possible worlds, you bet.
John: I would, absolutely. And I would just throw in one
other, and that is mescaline.
Charles: Sure. That would bring in the third classic hallucinogen. And we should also consider what might the applications of ayahuasca be? Although ayahuasca will have some
challenging considerations, given drug-drug interactions,
and some individuals might not be wise to use ayahuasca.
Nevertheless, with all the treatment applications here,
ayahuasca may have a very valuable place, ultimately.
Rick: Albert, Im wondering if you have any suggestions for
us about things that we might want to look into regarding
LSD and psilocybin? I remember, a while ago, you said one
of the most unexplored areas of research with LSD was low
doses?
Albert: Yes, that would be interesting. Just as a kind of
pleasure drug. Heh heh.
Rick: Ah.
91
Albert: There is already a large number of studies, literature is already there, experience by these people that I
namedGrof, and Kast, and Pahnkevery important
research, and I think it should be followed up on. What do
you think?
Rick: I agree.
92
Subsequent to this interview, a Russian translation of LSD, My Problem Child was posted at the MAPS web site, and a Chinese translation is underway, at a cost of about $4,000. MAPS also plans
to reprint a new English edition (as the book is currently out-ofprint), to be released by Dr. HOFMANNS birthday in January 2006.
STUDY UPDATES
Dr. MICHAEL and ANNIE MITHOEFERS MAPS-sponsored U.S. MDMA/
PTSD study is almost at the half-way point, with a preliminary data
analysis to be conducted after the 10th subject completes her final
follow-up exam around the end of September. So far, 10 subjects
have received a total of 18 MDMA experimental sessions and 6 placebo experimental sessions, along with lots of non-drug psychotherapy sessions. This includes 7 subjects who were randomized
into the MDMA group, each of whom received 2 MDMA sessions. In
addition, 2 subjects who were initially randomized into the placebo
group chose to participate in Stage 2, in which they received 2 MDMA
sessions on an unblinded open label basis as well as the same
amount of non-drug psychotherapy. There have been no drugrelated serious adverse events, meaning that MAPS has spent
$24,000 so far on an ER doc and ER nurse who have sat in the next
room during the first five hours of each experimental session doing
absolutely nothing. The outcome data is quite promising. If the second half of the study closely mirrors the first half, well have a potential FDA-approved medication on our hands, assuming we can
raise enough funds and train enough co-therapists to eventually test
about 550 additional subjects. Due to the track record of 18 MDMA
sessions conducted safely and with evidence of efficacy, MAPSsponsored MDMA/PTSD pilot studies in Israel and Switzerland are
moving slowly but surely through the regulatory review process.
Dr. ANDREW SEWELL has completed his MAPS-sponsored case report
series of people who have used psilocybin/LSD to help them deal
with their cluster headaches. Dr. SEWELL has gathered medical records
and dosing and outcome information on over 40 people. This case
report seriesthe largest ever complied on cluster headache patientshas been written up and submitted for publication. The results suggest that LSD and/or psilocybin do have efficacy in some
patients after other medications have failed, and can in some instances be administered at sub-psychedelic threshold doses. The
results are now guiding the design for a pilot study that will, if
approved by FDA and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at
HARVARDS MCLEAN HOSPITAL, involve the administration of LSD and/
or psilocybin to cluster headache patients. Were working to obtain
approval for the study prior to Dr. ALBERT HOFMANNS 100th birthday
on January 11, 2006.
Dr. JOHN HALPERNS MAPS-sponsored study of the use of MDMAassisted psychotherapy in subjects with anxiety associated with
advanced cancer is expected to receive final approval from the DEA
before the end of September. The FDA and the IRB at HARVARDS
MCLEAN HOSPITAL have already approved the study.
Dr. CHARLES GROBS HEFFTER RESEARCH INSTITUTE-sponsored study of
the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with anxiety
associated with cancer is underway, with three subjects already having received both of their experimental sessions (one with psilocybin and one with placebo). Initial results suggest that this form of
therapy can play an important role in the psychotherapeutic treatment of cancer patients.
93
Although the following piece is technically oriented, we feel that it will be of intellectual interest for those with an understanding of chemistry.
Author Casey Hardison is a long-time friend to staff members of The Entheogen Review. His article An Amateur Qualitative Study of 48
2C-T-7 Subjective Bioassays appeared in the MAPS Bulletin 10(2): 11. He is currently serving a 20-year term imprisoned in the United Kingdom,
one of the harshest punishments delivered in the U.K.: seven years outside the 1978 Operation Julie sentence of Richard Kemp, and six years
outside the guidelines set by the 1996 Joseph Hurley case. We encourage ER readers to correspond with Casey via the address below.
EXPERIMENTAL
2.80 grams of lysergic acid was added to 100 ml of magnetically stirring CH2Cl2. To this was added 1.81 grams N,Ndiethlmethylamine and the solution was allowed to stir for
five minutes. Then 5.70 grams of PyPOB was added and the
solution was allowed to stir for an additional five minutes.
Then 0.84 grams of diethylamine was added and the reaction was allowed to stir at RT for 60 minutes.
In early 2004, I engaged Dr. Nichols in a theoretical discussion as to his expected limits on scale-ability and it was clear
that he did not know, as he is limited to NIDA quantities of
the lysergic acid, i.e. > 250 mg.
94
95
be properly educated about the nature of its effects. It is unethical for people
to provide S. divinorum to others unless they also provide information on how
to use it wisely. There is a responsibility that comes with sharing it, and that
responsibility is education.
MARC
EMERY
BUSTED
There is something very pagan about it. I dont think you should tell
anybody about it (quoted in Pendell 1995).
I think that it must be kept like a sort of secret, that you will only
share with people that you trust in (Anon n.d.).
Existe en Jalapa de Daz un individuo llamado Felipe Miranda, quien
cada tres o seis mesas va al cerro a recoger la yerba; hace excelentes
curaciones y se encuentra en condiciones econmicas muy buenas; dicen
que cuida la yerba, pero no revela la clase de yerba de que se trata.
(Weitlaner 1952) [There is in Jalapa de Daz an individual named
Felipe Miranda, who every three or six months goes to the mountains to gather the plant. He makes wonderful cures and finds himself in a good economic situation. They say he cultivates and tends to
the plant, but he does not reveal the kind of plant that it is. (Translation from Wasson 1962.)]
Many, perhaps most, Mazatec families possess a private supply of
the plants, but almost invariably they are not near the home nor near
trails where passers-by might see them. We were on the watch for
Salvia divinorum as we criss-crossed the Sierra Mazateca on horseback in September and October of 1962, but never once did we see it.
The Indians choose some remote ravine for the planting of it and they
are loath to reveal the spots. No Indian in San Jos Tenango was willing to take us to the plants whence they brought back specimens to
us (Wasson 1962).
From an old curandera, a venerable woman in a strikingly magnificent Mazatec garment, with the lovely name Natividad Rosa, we received a whole bundle of flowering specimens of the sought-after
plant, but even she could not be prevailed upon to perform a ceremony with the leaves for us. Her excuse was that she was too old for
the hardship of the magical trip; she could never cover the long distance to certain places: a spring where the wise women gather their
powers, a lake on which the sparrows sing, and where objects get their
names. Nor would Natividad Rosa tell us where she had gathered the
leaves. They grew in a very, very distant forest valley. Wherever she
dug up a plant, she put a coffee bean in the earth as thanks to the gods
(Hofmann 1983).
96
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Vancouver Province provletters@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Sun sunletters@png.canwest.com
Victoria News vicnews@vinewsgroup.com
Victoria Times Colonist letters@tc.canwest.com
Whitehorse Star letters@whitehorsestar.com
Windsor Star letters@thestar.canwest.com
Winnipeg Free Press letters@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg Sun editor@wpgsun.com
98
MAGAZINES
Eye Magazine eye@eye.net
Macleans Magazine letters@macleans.ca
NOW Magazine letters@nowtoronto.com
Vancouver Magazine mail@vancouvermagazine.com
The Walrus letters@walrusmagazine.com
4) Contact your MP and MLA.
If you are in Canada, then contact both your MP and your
MLA. Dont send them an e-mail, make a phone call. Try to
make an appointment for a personal visit. Also have every
one of your friends and family members each make their own
phone call as well. The more calls they receive the better.
You are not seeking your MP and MLA to support the legalization of marijuana. Just say that you are calling because
you want your elected representative to oppose the extradition of any Canadian to a foreign country when their actions
are not considered a serious crime in Canada.
Remind them that Emery is the leader of a legitimate political party, that the Canadian government has knowingly collected taxes from his United States seed sales for a decade,
and that Emery has operated openly without interference
from Canadian police since 1998.
Tell your MP and MLA that Canada should not be sending
political activists to jail in foreign countries, especially when
their actions are not even considered to be an arrestable
offence in Canada.
Your MP is your federal Member of Parliament. You can find
your MP here: www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/
house/PostalCode.asp?Source=SM, Your MLA is your Provincial Member of the Legislature. You can find your MLA
online here:
Alberta
www.assembly.ab.ca/adr/adr_template.aspx?type=mla
British Columbia
www.legis.gov.bc.ca/mla/3-1-1.htm
Manitoba
www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/alphabetical.html
New Brunswick
http://app.infoaa.7700.gnb.ca/gnb/pub/ListMLA1.asp
Newfoundland
www.hoa.gov.nl.ca/hoa/members
Nova Scotia
www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/MEMBERS/index.html
Ontario
www.electionsontario.on.ca/fyed/en/form_page_en.jsp
Prince Edward Island
www.assembly.pe.ca/members/index.php
Quebec
www.assnat.qc.ca/fra/Membres/deputes.shtml
Saskatchewan
www.legassembly.sk.ca/members
5) Rally in your community.
If you are in Canada, then try to put on a rally in your community to protest this incursion of the United States drug
war into Canada.
The focus of your rally should not be on the marijuana laws,
but rather that Canadians within Canada are not subject to
United States law. The Canadian courts and people have decided that selling Cannabis seeds is a trivial, non-arrestable
offence.
The Canadian government has steadily collected sizable taxes
from Marc Emerys United States seed sales for ten years. If
Emery has broken the law in Canada then he should be
charged and tried here. If he has broken no laws in Canada
then he should not be extradited to the United States for a
life sentence. Who will be next? Will U.S. police start extraditing Canadians who perform gay marriages for visiting
Americans?
Try to put together a rally for Saturday, September 10, to
coincide with the rally planned for Vancouver. If there is a
United States consulate office in your city then that is a good
place to rally at. Otherwise find a park or other government
building.
Please contact us at the BC Marijuana Party to let us know
what you are up to. Tell us if you have contacted your elected
representatives, if are planning a rally, and what else you are
doing to help preserve Canadian sovereignty and keep the
United States drug war out of Canada.
Thank you for your help. Marc Emery has devoted his life
to ending the drug war and ensuring that marijuana seeds
are available to anyone who wants to grow this wondrous
herb. Please follow his lead, become active, and help to end
this vicious war. BC Marijuana Party (604) 684-2803
bcmp2005@yahoo.ca http://bcmarijuanaparty.com.
IMPORTANT WARNING
If you were a past or current customer of MARC EMERY DIRECT SEEDS,
you will want to be aware of the information below, which was
excerpted and condensed from MARCS seed company web site
(www.emeryseeds.com).
Emery Seeds has been raided by the DEA. We are now completely out of business. Keep up-to-date with discussion on
this topic at the www.cannabisculture.com Forums section,
which is updated regularly. The data below was current as of
August 13, 2005.
This is vitally important. When seeds were sent out in June,
they took unusually long to get to peoples places; 200300
letters were intercepted somehow, and held up. Return
addresses on incoming mail sent to us was likely matched
up with outgoing mail that had our return address. This regrettable discovery suggests that the DEA and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and perhaps other agencies
may be coordinating a massive round-up of both Canadians
and Americans in a considerable escalation of the drug war.
Those outgoing letters were held up after we sent them. If
you thought there was an unusually long delay in receiving
any recent orders from the time you were aware it was sent,
then it is very likely you are in danger, and should take
appropriate action.
Even if your seed order mail was opened, that is not enough
to incriminate you for receiving that letter. Nothing in our
outgoing orders implies that you asked for what were sending. Prosecution will require that those people who get the
scam letter (see example on page 100) from the DEA incriminate themselves by agreeing that they wish to receive
seeds, and through acknowledging the letter, prove that they
asked for and paid for seeds. These scam letters are fake
and dangerous. DO NOT RESPOND! Different names and
security passwords are used. [This is related to the process
for sending in payment, and the scam letter states that
additional funds are required to fill the orders. Eds.]
99
100
Let me explain why this is likely DEA, and not just some
scammer. The DEA was photographing all mail sent to the
two addresses given in (a) the seed catalogue and (b) at the
Marc Emery Direct Seeds web site (respectively), and all
mail being sent out to customers, in June and July. In doing
so, they could record all of the addresses on the outgoing
mail, as well as incoming mail. With just those photos, they
cant prove that those pieces of mail are seed orders. But to
do so, they can send their own mail to all of those addresses,
with a letter included (again, see
the example to the left) posing as
Marc Emery Direct. If some
unsuspecting customer of ours
acts on the scam letter, they
might:
a) Go to Western Union or get
a Money Gram to send $50.00
or $100.00 to the name of the
person on the letter;
b) Show their ID and fill out all
of their personal information on the Western Union
form to send payment;
c) Write down the passwords, as
expressed in the letter;
d) Send their wire to the name on
the letter: predetermined names
set by whatever group is behind
this; and
e) Send an e-mail to MEDmarijuanaseeds@yahoo.ca or
MEDmarijuana@yahoo.ca with:
1) Confirmation of their order, which we DID NOT send
out or keep (most people just waited by their mailbox),
2) The money control number used by the other end to pick
up payment (so they can pick up your information
with it),
3) The name used to both order seeds and to send the wire,
and
4) The amount of money transferred.
So, the only people to get this letter in the mail are people
who ordered seeds from us through the mail. When someone responds to this letter, it confirms that YES, they did
order seeds. They clearly did, because they wouldnt have
the right name or the password or the location from the
letter otherwise. By asking you to not use a post office box,
but to instead use your home address, they can easily find you.
The use of capital letters is a legal thing. The system of
Roman contract/admiralty law doesnt recognize lower-case
letters, and for a persons name to be legally applicable,
must be in all upper case. For this reason, all court documents
use upper case exclusively. (If you are ever filed with legal
documents that spell your name as Joe Blow and not JOE
BLOW, they can be thrown out of court because you can
claim, legally and rightfully, that the name on the document
does not apply to you. To get around this, the first thing they
try to do is get you to acknowledge that you are Joe Blow
and from then on youre pretty much screwed.)
We know that the DEA was taking photos of the orders sent
to us for seeds. We know that the DEA would love to have
people admit they ordered seeds from Marc Emery
Direct. We feel very strongly that this is law enforcement
trying to sweep up a lot of our customers, many of whom are
growers. AGAIN, DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS LETTER.
BCMP
307 WEST HASTINGS STREET
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V6B 1H6
CANADA
BCMP BOOKSTORE
307 WEST HASTINGS STREET
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, V6B 1H6
CANADA
101
Hyperspatial Maps
FIRST VOYAGES
WITH SALVIA DIVINORUM
I took Salvia divinorum as leaves smoked in a water pipe, in
the evening at a friends apartment. I sat cross-legged on the
floor. We both meditated for ten minutes before beginning.
The room was quiet and almost dark.
My friend prepared the pipe and told me to take one lungful
and then relax. He said he would then offer me a second hit,
which I should accept or refuse according to how strong the
initial effects were. I took the first hit at about 10:15 pm.
Nothing happened for a few seconds and then whoosh. I disintegrated very rapidly into an extraordinary state in which
any normal sense of self was gone. I seemed to be (dreamlike) involved in some situation in which lots of people were
in the streets and observing what I did, which seemed to be
important. I remember thinking (and saying?) that possibly
there were only the two of us in his room, that this was due
to a drug, and the other people did not exist.
Meanwhile I had become like a thin sheet or film lying between two worlds; one the world of streets with these people
in it, and the other the world I could see in front of me, which
was not three-dimensional but multidimensional. It was
mostly stunningly beautiful mixtures of yellow and white in
typical psychedelic patterns that bubbled up in many dimensions. There were hints of streams and forests and other
natural scenes, but the yellow and white predominated for
some time.
If I tried to move at this point, my arms seemed to break
the skin and make unpleasant crackling noises, as though
tearing crackly paper.
After a while all this subsided and I wanted to move. I crawled
around the floor and lay down, stretched and stood up before sitting down again. Then we began to talk and I learned
that I had apparently been offered the second hit and had
accepted it in a tiny high voice. I remembered absolutely
nothing of this and found it worrying that my memory could
be so totally blank.
102
The most amazing thing about this drug was the long, gentle
continuing effects. That night (about two and a half hours
after taking it) I had a hot bath and enjoyed a very open and
spacious feeling, and carefully reminded myself of the various effects. I felt a great need to integrate all this into my life
and to let the effects continue to work through me, which
they did. I am writing this nearly four days later and I believe I am still feeling the effects. Last night a smoke of homegrown grass had hallucinatory effects quite unlike its usual
effectmuch nicer and more interesting. This morning I
woke still feeling spacious and open. I have enjoyed these
aftereffects very much, although I do not know what, if anything, they are teaching me.
Salvia divinorum was a scary and challenging drug but I am
very glad that I took it. Susan Blackmore, England
ARE
YOU
BACK
YET?
for details
and
ordering
information
see
www.zoe7.com
103
Ogias destructive frenzy was followed by calmness, euphoria, drowsiness, and finally a deep sleep that lasted for several hours (Hamilton 1960). It has been suggested that, after eating agara bark, one experiences visions while asleep
(Schultes & Hofmann 1979; Hamilton 1960). For this reason, the bark has been called dream man among the Fore
people (Hamilton 1960), although several other substances
used by the Fore to produce visions are also known by this
term, including the ereriba that Ogia had eaten, as well as
maraba (Kaempferia galangal) (Hamilton 1960). However,
Ogia reported no visions related to his experience. He later
104
MY OWN EXPERIENCE
On September 21, 2003, at 7:15 pm, I bioassayed dried and
powdered agara bark. Below is the chronology of effects.
7:15 pm Begin chewing 10 grams of agara bark
7:16 pm Intensely bitter taste
7:20 pm Strong alkaloidal after taste, similar to quinine
7:25 pm Bark is swallowed
7:55 pm First alert, becoming drowsy
7:57 pm Dilated pupils
8:00 pm Difficulty in concentration
8:05 pm Increased pulse and heart rate
8:10 pm Pleasant drowsiness, similar to 0.3 mg dose of
hyoscine (scopolamine) hydrobromide, but
without changes in perception
8:15 pm Dizziness
8:20 pm Lying down with eyes closed, no eidetic images
8:25 pm Relaxation
8:30 pm Hypnagogic state with no dreams
9:55 pm Drowsiness wearing off
10:05 pm Afterglow, euphoria
10:25 pm Baseline, no aftereffects
The effects that I got from eating agara bark could be characterized as a plus two on the Degree of Intensity Scale
(Shulgin et al. 1986), also known as the Quantitative Scale
of Potency (Shulgin & Shulgin 1991); that is, There is an
unmistakable effect, and both the duration and the nature
of the effect can be stated.
NOTES
Twenty-eight alkaloids have been isolated from agara (Thomas 2005). One of these alkaloids, himbacine, is known to
have muscarinic receptor (M2) antagonist activity
(Broadley & Kelly 2001), but it is still unknown whether
the effects of agara are produced due to this activity. In large
doses, hibacine might also exhibit some M1 antagonist
(atropine-like) activity, and produce agitation, excitement,
and hallucinations (Thomas 2005). It is possible that larger
doses of agara bark may be visionary.
1) Around 150160 species of Homalomena have been identified worldwide (Herscovitch 2005; Hay 1999; Hay et al.
1995), yet chemical and pharmacological studies are largely
lacking. The fact that the specific species called ereriba is
unknown makes nailing down any activity quite difficult. The
East Indian species Homalomena aromatica has been used as
an aphrodisiac (Hirschfield & Linsert 1930). In Vietnam,
essential oil distilled from the root is used in perfume, and
the dried root is used in medicines to treat skin diseases (de
Beer 1993). Essential oil from H. aromaticacontaining 39
chemicals (many of which are terpenoids), with the major
component being linalool, at 62.1%has been shown to exhibit antifungal and insecticidal properties (Sung 1992;
Singh 2000). Under the name Qian Nian Jian, H. occulta is
used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve rheumatic
conditions and strengthen the tendons and bones; extracts
of the dried rhizome are available commercially, and chemical investigations turned up thirteen unique compounds (Hu
et al. 2003). H. occulta has also shown insect-repellency (Chen
1999). In New Guinea, H. cordata is said to be used for rain
magic, and H. versteegii [= H. lauterbachii] is said to be used
for love magic (Telban 1988).
CONCLUSION
My bioassay did not confirm the observations made by
Hamilton (1960) that the effects of eating agara bark include violent tremor, miosis, and a destructive frenzy. (It remains possible, however, that the ereriba leaves reported
to have concurrently been consumed contributed to those
effects.1) Rather, what I observed were dilated pupils,
increased pulse and heart rates, drowsiness, difficulty in
concentration, dizziness, relaxation, and a hypnagogic state
followed by euphoria.
Galbulimima belgraveana: 1) Branch with flower and bud, 2) opening bud, 3) stamen, 4) cross cut of stamen, 5) fruit.
Scanned from Zhisn rastenij (Life of Plants), 1980. Vol. 5, Part 1. Moscow.
105
106
other lichens), tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium)are allowed to be used in food or beverages
when that herb has been first rendered thujone free
(21CFR172.510). But this is clearly not the case with all
thujone-containing herbs, as noted above. The species name
Artemisia absinthium is not mentioned in the regulations, just
Artemisia spp. (although it is also referred to as wormwood). While this appears to indicate that any thujone-containing Artemisia is only allowed in food if it is thujone free,
elsewhere the Code of Federal Regulations seemingly contradicts this by specifically stating that tarragon (Artemisia
dracunculus) can be used in food, and there is no thujone
free requirement listed (21CFR182.20). Despite FDA regulation of Artemisia absinthiums use in food or alcohol, it is
still sold for consumption in herbal tinctures as a traditional
parasites cleanse (e.g, Clarkia Extra Strong), apparently
since the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education
Act limited FDA control over products labeled as dietary
supplements. However, this seems to make little sense, since
that ruling was devised to treat dietary supplements more
like foods than drugs, and since the FDA has banned thujonecontaining wormwood from use in food. Weird.
Considering that sage might have more thujone in it than
wormwood, and yet it need not be thujone-free as an additive, I e-mailed the FDA and asked: 1) Is there a citable regulation that bans thujone from food, and 2) Is there some specific cut off level of the amount of thujone that is acceptable to be included in food. Robert I. Merker, PhD, of the
FDA Office of Food Additive Safety, Division of Biotechnology and GRAS Notice Review, Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, responded to my query by noting:
As a general principle, ingredients are generally recognized as safe only for particular intended uses and not
just for any purpose or at any level. Thus, [not] only the
amounts of the ingredients, but the forms of the ingre-
dients and how they are consumed may factor into their
safety determinations. In the appropriate forms (plant
parts, fluid and solid extracts, concretes, absolutes, oils,
gums, balsams, resins, oleoresins, waxes, and distillates)
they consist of one or more of the following, used alone
or in combination with flavoring substances and adjuvants generally recognized as safe in food, previously
sanctioned for such use, or regulated in any section of
this part. Moreover, if it is use as spices that you are interested in, rather than extracts from the spices, 182.10
is probably the relevant section, not 182.20. The levels
of the substances used in 172.510 (wormwood, etc.),
are probably quite small, because they are used for
flavoring only.
We have no particular acceptable levels of thujone that
would be considered safe, but obviously the amounts
used in spices or spice oils and extractives would likely
be very low. Moreover, the levels in spices would probably not be very high, because the amounts of spices
consumed are quite low in general (Merker 2005).
ABSENTE LEGAL?
An absinthe-like product sold in the United States, called ABSENTE, is said to be legal because it is made from a less-bitter cousin herb called
southern wormwood, which is Artemisia abrotanum. While A. abrotanum can contain thujone, it is said to be naturally lower in thujone than
Artemisia absinthium. The only way that this product would be legal in Americaaccording to FDA regulations regarding any Artemisia speciesis if all of the thujone had been removed from it. MICHEL P. ROUX of CRILLON IMPORTERS LTD., who manufacture ABSENTE, states that his
product does contain enough thujone to produce mild psychoactive effects, but that its thujone-free by the standards of the government
(FODERARO n.d.). These remarks dont coincide with actual regulations; it would be interesting to see GC/MS results on this product. The thujone
content of southern wormwood may depend on where it is sourced from; tests of Moroccan plants showed relatively high thujone content,
while plants from the Pacific Northwest had no detectable thujone at all (PAPPAS & SHEPPARD-HANGER n.d.)!
THE ENTHEOGEN REVIEW, POB 19820, SACRAMENTO, CA 95819-0820, USA
107
108
Network Feedback
CORRECTING ERRORS
I received ER 13(2) and am happy to see that you are keeping
up the good work. I doubt anybody will complain overmuch,
that you again passed over an issue, so long as it keeps coming out (on the other hand, as Henry Thoreau observed:
The fault-finder would find faults even in Paradise).
I write to remark some trivial errors, one involving my own
work.
p. 46: Justin Case, et alii [nice bum, F. Gal!] must have got
my papers mixed up in an enematic way, inasmuch as they
state that: [I] found rectal administration of 5-MeO-DMT
uninteresting. In a way that is true, so much so that I didnt
even try it, certainly not again with a trivial amount of harmala alkaloids (which, even weret true, is blatheringly
vague: which? and how much?). It would have been uninteresting, since there were no reports known to me, of any
Virola-enema, which plausibly might have 5-MD as major
visionary principle! I did try bufotenine intrarectally, insofar as Anadenanthera-seed-extract-enemas have been reported, and any psychopticity must hinge on 5-HO-DMT
[bufotenine], which was what I modeled.
Perhaps we need a bit more T&A in ER, from the preponderance of
positive comments regarding that backside cover. Apologies for
the sloppy fact-checking on the count of your Journal of Psychoactive Drugs paper that discussed 5-MeO-DMT. In this case, the requisite paper was missing from our files, and TROUT was going from
memory. Thanks for the kick in the ass. DAVID AARDVARK
K. Trout responds: With regard to traditional ethnographic enemas, the closest would have been Anadenanthera seeds, which
can/may have DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and/or bufotenine. While bufotenine is often the primary one, DMT and 5-MeO-DMT show up frequently enough, and are sometimes the only alkaloid or alkaloids.
be clavohuasca, guayusa [that, f.i., it can be one of the richest sources of caffeine known], iporuru, chuchuhuasi and
maca? Besides, like so many vulgar plant-names, a couple of
these have multiple botanical referents, not to say
orthographical pseudosynonyms [pseudosyns?]. I suggest
you post an advert-policy: that prospective advertisers must
clearly label all herbal ingredients, at minimum, with unambiguous scientific binomials. The black-shirts are forever itching to prohibit self-medication and the food-supplement medicinal herbal market, and they have one very valid
point. Absent legal obligation, the vast bulk of manufacturers DO NOT label their products even marginally well (rather
with coyness, to be charitable; FRAUDULENCE, to be un-)
most importantly they throw in all sorts of meaningless buzzwords like spagyric, synergized, balanced optimum
formula and the like, when all any sensible person wishes
to know (and the law ought mandate) be: 1) precisely WHAT
does the nickel-bag nostrum contain?; and 2) in what
amounts?we wish to know HOW MUCH OF WHAT PART
OF THE HERB is in the minuscule bottle which, of course,
crackpot manufacturers are loath to mention, because the
amounts are usually trifling, else they use the chaff, not the
wheat.
All good points; note that the current BOTANICAL PRESERVATION CORPS
advertisement has been updated. On the other hand, we presume
that many (if not most) ER readers do have access to the Internet,
where information about common names and their Latin correspondences can usually be found fairly easily. And specifically in the case
of the BPC offerings, their own sites Exotic Botanicals section contains a bounty of additional detailsincluding Latin binomialsfor
each of the ingredients in their chocolate bars. DAVID AARDVARK
109
110
As soon as I get my Hacker up here to correct some maddeningly capricious problems with both my G3 and G4
PowerBooksI shall endeavour to cull-out a small handful
of unpublished pieces which remain yet fallen through the
cracks, so to do my part to keep TER fat and happy and off
the skids. Best. Jonathan Ott, Mexico
PUBLISHING ERRORS?
Thanks for hipping me to the enema thing (Summer 2004),
and also for Fun Gals nice photo. I dislike snorting stuff
(and worse, shooting stuff ). I tried both ways with ketamine.
I liked the ketamine, but still totally hate hurting my nose or
letting anyone go poke needles in me. I used a 1CC syringe
with no needle, filled with ketamine, pushed it all of the way
in (up to the handles), and squirted 100 mg up my butt. Wow!
It did not come on as fast as when I tried shooting it, but it
also seemed to wear off a lot slower. It sure works though.
I never imagined Id be sticking dope up my butt, but when
it comes to ketamine, I found my route! Ima B. Leever
A few weeks after the account above was sent to ER, K. TROUT made
the following remarks: Something said to me by a friend recently
suggests that the ketamine enema account forwarded to ER was
fictional, based solely on the data that we published in the Summer
2004 issue. While I doubt that it would not work as described, I also
have reason to doubt that the writer ever tried it. It was claimed that
I was sent this to see what would be published without questioning. In response, two evaluations of it by JUSTIN CASE went as described, except that he noted a persistent discomfort of the rectum
the day after these experiments. He claimed that this route was significantly less effective than IM, but more effective than insufflation.
With regard to the idea of hoaxing ER, this may not be new ground.
(See for example ER 6(1): 1213 and the speculations that followed
in ER 6(4): 4.) However, it is somewhat surprising that anyone would
take the time to send in such a boring and believable hoax. I mean,
come on, if you are going to see what would be published without
questioning, get a bit more creative and at least send something
that we might question. The enema is a tried-and-true approach,
using pharmacist-compounded ketamine pain relief cream. These
creams are created for transdermal application, and as such usually
contain pluronic lecithin organogel (see ER 12(1): 23 for a discussion of this compound), although they may sometimes instead contain DMSO, depending on what the compounding pharmacist decides to do. Those chemicals that assist absorption through the skin
would likely make the compound cream version of ketamine more
effective in an enema. It is worth noting that ketamine pain creams
are often also compounded with other drugs as well, a few of which
include ketoprofen/Orudis/Oruvail (an analgesic, anti-inflammatory,
and antipyretic that inhibits cyclo-oxygenase), and/or gabapentin/
Neurontin (an anticonvulsant in this application used for treating
nerve pain), and/or clonidine/Catapres (a centrally acting antihypertensive in this application used to treat neuropathic pain and/or opioid
detoxification), and/or amitriptyline/Elavil (a tricyclic antidepressant
in this application used to treat pain). We suspect that the ketamine
enema enthusiast might wish to obtain a pain cream that was free
of anything other than ketamine and perhaps something that had
topical analgesic properties like lidocaine (considering JUSTIN CASES
remarks). To date, we know of perhaps a dozen or more folks having
confirmed that ketamine cream via enema is effective without question. And the straight ketamine approach has now been
replicated and confirmed active as well.
While we could have refrained from publishing this report entirely, it
brings up an important point (whether or not it is a hoax). There
really isnt any way to tell in many cases if the data submitted by ER
readers is factual or not. ER has existed for thirteen years as a network newsletter, generally relying on the idea that people sending
in their experiences and questions are sincere in their communications. It seems somewhat pathetic that a person would have nothing better to do than culture jam a small circulation publication whose
purpose is to shed some light on the frequently confusing and largely
taboo topic of contemporary psychonautical ethnobotany and
ethnopharmacology. In any case, I suppose that this incident gives
us reason to suggest that all readers revisit our disclaimer on the
inside front cover of each issue. We do our best, but we are subject
to human error and susceptible to being mislead just like everyone
else. DAVID AARDVARK
At this point Mr. K. Trout informed me that it was wellknown that acidic extractions of Mimosa were inactive without an MAOI, and that both Ott and Aardvark had extracted with neutral water. While it is difficult to see how a
lowered pH could inactivate something that was bound for
the stomach, I tried another experiment. I followed the
procedure of Ott and Aardvark as closely as possible, and
prepared 25 grams of well-proven bark with neutral cold
water, and drank on an empty stomachclose to four times
my usual dose. Again, I experienced no visionary effects.
I retched at +30 minutes.
There was, however, one small difference between my preparation and that of Aardvark. Aardvark had used a French
coffee plunger to strain his brew, I had used filter paper.
I stared at the brown mud on the paper. I wonder . . .
I put 100 mg of the dried filter cake in a spoon and held it
over an alcohol lamp. Sure enough, inhaling the vapors produced clear tryptamine effectsnothing overwhelming, but
exciting and pleasant. And I couldnt have inhaled more than
a few milligrams of the smoke. I first thought of 5-MeO-DMT,
just from the nature of the effects and the strength, but
5-MeO-DMT has never been found in Mimosa tenuiflora.
The fine powder might make a good snuff. This, of course,
relates little to the question of oral activity. D.P., CA
MORE CORRECTIONS?
Both Jonathan Ott and David Aardvark have reported
that the root-bark of Mimosa tenuiflora (Wildenow) Poiret
is active without an MAOI (TER 8(1): 2224). I have been
unable to replicate this activity. There are lots of explanations for negative findings, but, as negative findings often
tend to remain unreported, Im hoping that this note will
prompt other ER readers to add some data points to this
interesting issue.
My first experiment was with a group of eight experienced
volunteers, all familiar with Mimosa extractions drunk with
harmel (Peganum harmala). The bark was extracted with cold
water and lemon juice over several weeks. Volunteers drank
150 to 200 percent of their usual dose, but without the
harmel. While some felt that there might be something
there, the general consensus was all of the nausea, none of
the fun. In fact, most agreed that a previous experiment,
of drinking just the harmel without the Mimosa, was more
visionary.
111
vaporizing the whole 100 mg, if needed). After the first inhalation
with no effects, I continued to hit the pipe until no more vapor was
produced. Aside from a mild light-headed feeling, there were no
effects. My next attempt was made with 600 mg of the material,
placed into a VOLCANO vaporizer unit (which had previously been
successfully used with pure DMT). I sucked down two bagfuls of
vapor processed in this manner, to no effect (other than lightheadedness again). When I looked at the powder residue in the
chamber, about 50% of it was clearly toasted (almost charred), and
the remaining 50% looked reasonably fresh still. So it is quite possible that there was uneven heating going on in the chamber, and it
may be that more bags could have been filled. However, generally
with volatilized tryptamines, one wants to get the entire dose from
one bag within three or four inhalations, so this material did not
seem concentrated enough to use in this device (on the presumption that it may not have all been spent and if it would have been
active had it all been consumed). Alas, while you can offer no confirmation of Mimosa tenuiflora being orally active via cold-water extraction consumed with no added MAOI, I am unable to offer any
confirmation of filter cake residue being active when heated and
inhaled. (I wish that I could.)
Since the initial publication of positive bioassays of cold-water extracted Mimosa tenuiflora, we have only received a single correspondence on this topic, which stated that 25 grams gave very
mild but quite pleasant results and It seems for me that a much
larger amount than 25 grams of root-bark is required (ER 8(4): 135).
OTT has also remarked that the two times with a few subjects that
I have since repeated this, and it did work, the amounts were a bit
higher: 3035 grams of root-bark/dose, if memory serves me (OTT
2005). We are somewhat bewildered that we have not received more
bioassay reports regarding this process. A possible explanation might
be that many people did not receive positive results, and folks are
less likely to write in and say, I tried this, and it didnt work. In any
case, we appreciate hearing about your own results.
Why it works is still anyones guess. Independent GC/MS analysis
reported finding the -carboline 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-carboline in Mimosa tenuiflora earlier this year (MOECAT 2005),
but this could have been an isolation artifact. Previously, this compound has been found in Virola barks (HOLMSTEDT et al. 1980). However, this -carboline is speculated to produce only trivial MAOI action (MCKENNA 2005; CALLAWAY 2005). JACE CALLAWAY has discovered a new phytoindole from Mimosa tenuifloraone that is in an
entirely new class of compounds; the activity of this chemical is un-
known, but it could possibly act as a MAOI. CALLAWAY has also remarked that from his observations, there are at least a handful of
indoles in this species, aside from DMT, and many of them are quite
large and unstable (CALLAWAY 2005); experiments with known doses
of these isolated chemicals might prove valuable in nailing down
some of the discrepancies. (We are eager to read CALLAWAYS paper,
which has been accepted for future publication by Planta Medica.)
OTT has speculated that there may be some new tryptamine or DMT
adduct contained in it, and the scant data reported above related to
some potent compound producing effects when vaporized and inhaled may suggest that there is indeed a highly active novel
tryptamine in it. More recent GC/MS was done this year, which did
not show the presence of any novel tryptamines, but they might
have been lost in the isolation process (see article related to this pp.
116117) or not present in this particular sample of the root-bark.
Why it doesnt work can also only be speculative at this point, and
could be based on one or more of a number of factors, including:
ALKALOID PROFILE: Different individual trees may contain different
alkaloid profiles depending on several factors including genetics and
environment. SOURCE: Material from Brazil may have fewer alkaloids than material from Mexico, but more analysis needs to be done.
PREPARATION: Variation in extraction procedures may affect results.
POTENCY: Some material may simply be more potent than other
material, with regard to any mystery alkaloid(s). For DMT content,
OTT has reported a range of 1% to 11% (although practically speaking, it seems unlikely that the higher end reported is the norm), and
any other alkaloids present might also have an equally wide range
of concentration. MISIDENTIFICATION: OTT has pointed out that
Mimosa tenuiflora does look like any number of chaparral-type,
mesquite-type, Mimosas or Acacias and superficially could be mistaken for Acacia farnesiana (OTT 2005). In recent years mis-identified Argyreia nervosa seed, Lagochilus inebrians seed/flower/
herb, and Mitragyna speciosa herb/extract have all been offered
commercially. [In the case of DP, CA, misidentification is unlikely,
since the bark was well-proven when taken wth a MAOI.] DIFFERENCES IN INDIVIDUAL BIOCHEMISTRY: Some folks may have higher
or lower amounts of gastric MAOI in their systems, and this could
have some effect on the activity of any mystery alkaloid(s). AGE
OF MATERIAL: Although the DMT content of M. tenuiflora is reasonably stable when stored for long periods, it is possible that the mystery alkaloid(s) degrade faster. It may be that root-bark needs to be
fresher in order to be orally active sans MAOI. PLACEBO EFFECT:
Although unlikely, it is possible that those people who reported positive results were only having a placebo effect. DAVID AARDVARK
N E W !
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112
RESULTS
Figure 1 shows a HPLC chromatogram of the extract, with
UV absorption at 210 and 280 nm using Diode Array Detector (DAD), which appears to consist primarily (90% or more)
of one substance with a retention time of 5.3 minutes in the
system used, and some traces of other related alkaloids.
The Mass Spectra of the major constituent is shown in Figure 2. It shows a base fragment peak m/z 144, a parent peak
at 189, and secondary fragment peak at 130. This suggests a
molecule of atomic mass 188 (M+) and corresponds somewhat with published MS values reported for N,N-dimethyltryptamine (Trout 2002).
DISCUSSION
Previous reports of simple tryptamine and -carboline alkaloids from Australian species of Acacia, and related species
from the SW Pacific (Poupat et al. 1976) and Asia (Liu et al.
1977) (Table 1), have been more widely referenced during
the last ten to fifteen years (Trout 2002).
Although two Australian speciesAcacia maidenii and A.
phlebophyllawere reported in the 1960s to contain simple
methylated tryptamine alkaloids (Fitzgerald & Sioumis
1965; Rovelli & Vaugan 1967), there has been little information concerning the constituents of other species, or possible
variation between different populations of the same species.
The results of this HPLC-MS analysis supports the occurrence
of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) as the major base of Acacia obtusifolia stem-bark, with traces of related compounds
such as tryptamine (or NMT) and -carbolines.
113
Figure 1
Figure 3
Figure 2
There was no indication of any 5-substituted tryptamine alkaloids as reported from related genera, such as
Anadenanthera, Desmodium, Virola, and
others (Trout 2002), and they have not
yet been reported from members of
Acacia subspecies Phyllodinae (Racosperma) in the scientific literature,
which is not to say that they are not
present. Their tentative occurrence is
114
TABLE 1
Tryptamine and -carboline Alkaloids Reported in Literature
from Acacia subsp Phyllodinae (Racopserma)
Figure 4
SPECIES
REFERENCE
A. complanata
Phyllodes
N-methyl-tetrahydroharman
tetrahydroharman
A. confusa
Root-bark
DMT, NMT
A. maidenii
Stem-bark
DMT, NMT
A. phlebophylla
Phyllodes
DMT
A. simplex
Phyllodes
& Twigs
DMT, NMT,
N-methyl-tetrahydro--carboline Poupat et al. 1976
Stem-bark
DMT, NMT,
Poupat et al. 1976
N-methyl-tetrahydro--carboline,
N,N-formyl,methyl-tryptamine
115
SOME THOUGHTS
ON ANALYSIS
and Comparisons
of Extracts
and Synthetic DMT
by K. Trout
When interpreting plant analysis results, it is important to
understand there are several potential reasons for the variations in alkaloid expression that one may encounter. Sometimes this is the result of differences in alkaloid content and/
or composition. Other times it may instead hinge on a lack
of comparability between samples.
Often, people read an analysis in the literature and then attempt to apply it to the material they have in their hands, as
if alkaloid content is a static and stable feature of plants. In
reality, while an analysis may say something about the material being analyzed, it says less beyond that. More to the
point, when a plant has published results that show a single
alkaloid composition and content rather than a range, it is
probable that the plant had one sample analyzed one time
only.
ACACIA OBTUSIFOLIA
TOP TWO PHOTOS BY ZARIAT
BOTTOM TWO PHOTOS BY K. TROUT
116
Within most populations there often can be found individuals that can vary substantially from the rest of that population. Different harvest times, environmental conditions, and
nutrient availability can all create quite disparate yields, and/
or even variable compositions for the isolated alkaloid fraction. Different preparation approaches creating the sample
tested can also produce very different outcomes. If these details are not known about the materials being looked at in
an analysis, the comparison of samples can have relatively
little meaning. For example, when isolated material from
Acacia obtusifolia gets more white or light (or crystalline)
from people trying to clean it up by recrystallization, further acid/base partitioning, or preparative chromatography,
there is often little else remaining except for the major alkaloid. This means that in the case of plant isolates, the more
purified the product, the less likely it is to actually represent
the alkaloid profile of its plant source. Some alkaloids, such
as bufotenine and -carbolines, are readily separated from
DMT during the recrystallization process, so they can be
absent from the final product even if present in substantial
amounts in the plant.
Figure 5
In all four samples, DMT was vastly the major alkaloid. Trace amounts of alkaloids other than DMT and bufotenine were also present in all samples, but none
of these were identified. Seemingly in keeping with what was suggested by bioassays, the brightest orange-colored material (said to be a summer extract) had almost no bufotenine, while the darkest brown sample (said to be a winter extract)
had the most bufotenine. The other two samples had small but intermediate levels of bufotenine; one of these was somewhat darker, although it was said to be a
summer extract. Bufotenine (see Figure 5) does not appear to have ever previously been formally reported from any Acacia species; however, suspicions of its
presence have been voiced for more than ten years by Acacia extract consumers
in Australia.
We approached another chemist in order to double-check the results noted above.
When GC/MS was run on the darkest sample, this time it did not show bufotenine, and instead showed what might have been 1,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4tetrahydrobetacarboline or something similar. DMT was, as expected, the major
alkaloid. The chemist performing analysis for us commented that due to its polarity, bufotenine might not have been discernible in the test columns used, and
more work with this in mind would be required to prove its absence.
Another consideration related to the alkaloid composition of Acacia is the potential impact of crude approaches to obtaining the resin. If large masses of material
sit for extended periods during the act of solvent removal, these can form distinctly colored zones ranging from light to dark within the same mass. Differences in effects between these zones have been reported by users, with the lighter
areas most often associated with purer DMT effects. It is reasonable to think that
alkaloids will at least partially segregate within these zones during the crystallization process, so that even within one large lot there may be substantial differences in alkaloid composition for the portions that are distributed from within
them.
ACACIA OBTUSIFOLIA
SEEDLINGS ABOVE BY K. TROUT
TREE BELOW BY FLOYD DAVIS
117
We have heard comments of Mimosa tenuiflora extracts being perceived of as friendlier than Acacia, and the orange
Acacia being perceived of as friendlier than pure DMT.
While this might involve the action of some other alkaloids,
it is probably also in part a function of dosage.
The Acacia extract tends to be a semi-solid to solid, oily and
often semi-crystalline mass that can readily be shown to contain large amounts of insoluble material. This means that,
at best, the resin is far from being pure alkaloid, much less
pure DMT. Any given chunk of pure DMT will therefore be
more potent than the same weight chunk of Acacia extract.
A similar picture exists for the Mimosa extract but for a
different reason. While Mimosa extract may be extremely
pure, quite dry, and solid, it tends not to be used as lumps or
powder, but rather as small and irregular (often curving)
flakes or chunks. These take up more room than either
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A film that blends several styles of documentary storytelling in a sensory-overload/free-association collage, attempting to recreate the psychedelic experience. Features
many noteworthy researchers. It is planned for release at next
years Sundance Film Festival. A trailer for the movie can
be viewed at the URL listed above.
ECSTASY TESTING PROJECT OUT OF FUNDS
IBOGAINE ART
www.gammalyte.com
An anonymous online survey that takes 30 minutes to complete, attempting to help judge whether Cannabis use is
harmful, completely harmless, or somewhere in between.
The study aims to explore the nature of the relationships between individual and environmental factors associated with
patterns of Cannabis use, and their impact on everyday functioning in terms of psychological well-being and cognitive
functioning. Survey acceptence ends June 30, 2006.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
THE GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY
ECSTASY: IN AND ABOUT ALTERED STATES
OCTOBER 9, 2005 FEBRUARY 20, 2006
www.moca-la.org/museum/moca_geffen.php
119
120
REVIEWED BY CLEAR DAY ONE: Visual decadence, mindful flavors of alternative nutrition, sound, and healing. A gaggle of freaks, all generations,
all stripes (and polka dots and plaid). All ages the web site said, kid friendly. Id bring my kids if I had any. I was sitting in the chill-out space listening
to some delicious ambient music, electronic and soothing. A painting up on the wall, a galactic Mayan motif, higher realms and higher planes. I
smelled some oils, flowery, fruity, lemon I think, cleansing. There were a lot of Oms and crystals. Oh, there, I saw my first child, a young boy 8 or
9, blonde with a green fuzzy turtle back pack. And another, fist full of trail-mix for me. Snack-snack. Joan said to say high to a man named Frank
and his black bag of magic goodies. Old heads and new heads, young heads and dead heads. People came from all around the world to attend, to
immerse and learn and network. Susan Blackmore on memes, such a head opener. But what about the smallest meme or the memetization of
experience? Sasha and Ann Shulgin Q & A, Yea! Questioned from lunatics. Such a gradient from the chemists geeks to the party freeks; and no, 2CB/T... will not show up in a standard urine test. Accosted, entertained, and seduced by a flirty photographer with no pockets. Shes out on a yang tip
of the Art world, business of photography down in So-Cal. Synchronistic wedged in for her as her sister was a vendor of fine wares there at Mind
States: tinctures, balms, oils. I saw Jon, the organizer, whirling on stage with children, a boy and a girl. His long blonde hair was straight and shining.
Charles Hayes, author of Tripping, on memory. I really tried to keep up, I was fascinated, but so much, so fast, so good. Michael Shermer on
skepticism, a meme-busting meme. The mushroom panel: Linda Corazon talked of the native use and the adventures of Salvador Roquet. Mike
Crowley spoke of the Buddhist connections with psychedelic mushrooms, blue stemmed parasols. Charlie Grob spoke of his science and psyche
practice, extemporaneously as the PowerPoint projector was out. Tom Reidlinger spoke of the 50 year anniversary of the advent of the mushroom into
the life of Western Consciousness. DAY TWO: It takes me one-and-a-half hours to get sitting down in the convention centers theater. I caught the
tail end of the first lecture. Hes sponsored by DARPA, I dont like that intention, a fellow participant said to me. If you take it out all the way were
all dead, arent we? I responded. Blech, it doesnt take anything to just listen, does it? The speaker was talking about cognitive science and neurostimulation, long distance thought projection, 2 monkeys in 2 different rooms. Mark Pesce had quite an elaborate presentation with neato abstract
video playing, a bit of a Terence McKenna lecture (again preaching to the choir), and a didgeridoo. He spoke of BitTorrent, Wiki, the Outfoxed plug-in,
Cellphedia, trust, and the need for a health regimen of media exercise. In the Q & A someone remarked that the psychedelic sections of Wikipedia are
a bit sparse and we should be doing a better job of getting the info out. I agree. After the lecture I went to make a call and was accosted by A., a
young enthusiastic woman, who mistook me for a fellow poster on entheogen.com. Piers Bizony: Scientists are from Mars, Artists are from Venus.
Spoke of the aesthetics of Science and scientists as they experiment. It seems so simple of an idea, but so profound (as is much in the symposium) that
Scientists are not the cold-hearted archetypes of lore. He spoke of the pinning down of our universe by black holes, the instruments of galactic
evolution. I was invited by a speaker to a post-Mind States party out in Marin on Monday. She was one of the speakers (the only woman) on the
mushroom panel last night. She holds traditional ceremonies down in Mexico. She obviously loves what she does. I skipped the multimedia lecture/
dance. They spoke of a global dance culture, Burning Man and such. Been there, done that. I dont want to be cocky, and its not like I yelled out some
obscenities. I just left the auditorium when the chunky translating slides of galaxies slid by as a backdrop of the strains of some generic tribal electronic
music came on with a couple of dreadlocked dancers. The visionary artists panel: Donna Torres and her garden of visionary plants. A soft-spoken
woman relying heavily on her notes, nervous. Jim Woodring (my personal favorite) spouted a lucid treatise on his work Lazy Robinson. Donna Tracy
a texture artist talked of digital waste digitritus, fractals, ascetic transcendence, and the palette for evolution. Robert Forman, a genuine New Yorker,
a yarn worker, and psychedelicist. His travels to the Huichol and Guadalupe. Vibrata and her evolution from dualism to interdependence. I wish that
Sue was able to MC the panel because they ran out of time and there was no Q & A. I think the whole introductory factual/lecture download could have
been skipped in its entirety and we could have had 2 hours of Q & A, YES! DAY 3??? Excerpted/adapted from posts at http://mindstates.tribe.net.
Events Calendar
AYAHUASCA HEALING RETREAT
SEPTEMBER 2028, 2005
A DOPE DEALER
OCTOBER 4, 2005
Ceremonies in Baha, Brazil with ayahuasca, meditation, lectures, transpersonal exercises, and excursions. Staff includes
Sue Minns, Gary Reich, Silvia Polivoy, and Zoe Seven.
A second retreat is scheduled for October 412, 2005.
See www.ayahuasca-healing.net for more information.
SYMBIOSIS GATHERING
SEPT. 30 OCT. 2, 2005
Symbiosis is an arts, music, and lifestyle gathering held at
Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Three days of dancing, camping, exchanging ideas
and creativity, holistic medicine exploration, spirituality, nutrition, and communal networking. Featuring visionary art
from Carey Thompson, J Garcia, Kris Davidson, Mark
Henson, Zariat, and more, presented by Zoetic Art. With
a tribal bazaar, veggie food, DJs and live music performances,
workshops, and lectures. Early-bird tickets are $55.00
each for the whole three days. For more information, see
www.SG05.com.
SACRED ELIXIRS
OCTOBER 2223, 2005
A conference on the role of drug plants in the history of religion. Speakers include Mike Crowley, Marlene Dobkin
de Rios, Paul Devereux, Clark Heinrich, Michael
Horowitz, Robert Jesse, James Kent, Ralph Metzner,
Cynthia Palmer, Dale Pendell, Tom Riedlinger, Alexander Shulgin, and Ann Shulgin. Plus poetry, workshops
on breathwork, meditation, psychotronic devices, and vendors of books, artwork, and entheogenic plants. Single day
tickets are $55.00 each, or a two-day pass is $90.00. Tickets
can be purchased online at www.sacredelixirs.com or by
sending payment to: Narthex, Inc., 2530 Berryessa Road,
PMB 60, San Jose, CA 95132.
121
DOING
TIME
Sources
by Jon Hanna
www.pondman.nu
A May 17, 2005 press release from the
As reported in the Summer 2004 issue of The Entheogen Review, several online
vendors of so-called research chemicals (R.C.) were busted on July 21 of
that year by the DEA. Sentences related to some of those arrests, handed
down earlier this year, are noted in the sidebar to the left.
122
The DEA used R.C. companies credit card records from Internet and phone
purchases to contact some previous customers and threaten to take action
against them if they did not cooperate with the investigation. Concern was
expressed to me by a consultant to the DEA that these records may have
retained details regarding the sizes of purchases that customers made. The
feeling was expressed that those who had ordered a gram or two of something were unlikely to have problems, but those who had ordered large quantities might be flagged with dealer status, and could run into trouble in
the future. While over a year has passed with no busts reported being directly tied to these investigations (other than the company owners), one
wonders how long the DEA might sit on such data for use at a future date.
While R.C. company customers may feel as though they are doing nothing
wrong by the letter of the law in ordering non-scheduled chemicals, it nonetheless strikes me as being prudent to take a few precautions when placing
orders for items that may have questionable legality. (This includes virtually anything that could be used as a drug or considered drug paraphernalia.) Obtain information about a companys products and prices by surfing the web at a public library, then place the order via snail-mail. Pay with
a money order, preferably purchased from a small towns post office where
one is not a regular customer. (Convenience stores and large post offices
frequently have a surveillance camera pointed at their customers.) Use an
alias and a non-traceable mail drop. (Consider too that one who repeatedly
uses the same mail drop might be easier to target through surveillance.) A
friend who occasionally visited D.M. Turner to exchange various questionable items once mentioned to me that Turner always donned a pair of
gloves before making any transactions. Considering that evidence which
helped nail Casey Hardison to the wall (see page 94) included his fingerprints on a package of intercepted contraband, Turners protocol seems to
be basic common sense.
The R.C. market temporarily turned into a ghost town after the 2001 bust
of Mark Niemoeller of JLF Poisonous Non-consmumables. But as time
passed, various companies opened up and again provided R.C. offerings.
After the 2004 Operation Web Tryp busted several R.C. distributors, some
other companies with similar offerings shut down completely, or removed those items from their catalogs. For a
while the scene was quieter, although not all such companies completely disappeared. An oft-asked question sent to
me in care of The Entheogen Review these days is, What R.C.
companies are currently in business, and which companies
are trustworthy? I have had no personal interactions with
any of the companies listed below, and I have been unable to
locate much data on any of them, whether first-hand, second-hand, or mere rumor. Dealing with such companies,
even in the safest manner possible, is a risk that I would not
take myself. However, I encourage those bolder than me to
report back with their experiences.
AMS RESEARCH
http://ams-research.com/english
Offers 2C-I for $200 per gram and 5-MeO-DMT for $300 per
gram; their web site mentioned pre-ordering available for
2C-T-2 and 2C-E, to be shipped in late July, but this had not
been updated as of early August. Some web forums have
listed both complaints and compliments for this company.
LEGAL HIGHS
www.legalhighs.org
123
query, and got no response. I asked someone from a Canadian entheobotanical business if he had heard of this organization, and what spice might be. He said that it was 2C-I,
and that he had spoken to people in BC who have dealt with
them, and he was pretty sure its not a scam. More recently, in early August when I visited their URL, the bulk of
the site had been removed and replaced by a notice (dated
May 2005), which said that they were still in operation and
still processing orders and working on a new site. Considering that the site no longer provides any ordering information, they must only currently be processing orders from past
customers. One can read a bit of their previous web site by
searching for their name at Google and using the Cached
feature. I dont have much confidence in this group.
In Louisiana, Act No. 159 went into effect on August 15, 2005,
making it illegal to possess, manufacture, or distribute a laundry list of various plants, if they are intended for human consumption. From the look of the list, it would appear as though
the people who compiled it have little real knowledge of the
activity of some of the plants that they are banning. Those
found guilty of possession could face up to five years in prison
and/or up to a $5,000 fine. Those guilty of manufacture or
distribution face 210 years and a fine of up to $20,000. For
the text of the law, see the URL posted above.
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124
Book Reviews
More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement
by Ramez Naam. 2005, (Broadway Books/Random House, Inc.,
1747 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, www.broadwaybooks.com),
Hardcover 0-7679-1843-6. $24.95. [6.5" x 9.5"], 276 pp.
125
126
approaches is considerably higher than in the Westis going to get on with its transhuman self, producing competitive, economic advantages that the West will eventually have
to respond to. Naam states early on that moving to ban these
technologiesand in some cases, the bans are already with
uswill eventually produce a black market. And, well, we
all know how effective the black market can be.
Perhaps most importantly, Naams book is just a damn
good read. Whether you agree with or fear his conclusions,
he offers an eloquent tour of the current state of these technologies, and that in itself is worth the price of admission.
Scotto
Jonathan Ott previously reviewed the original 1998 German edition of this book (TER 8(2): 8183). The layout of
the new English translation is nearly identical to the German
version, although the publisher did remove the erroneously
labeled photo of a Cereus peruvianus (as Ott pointed out),
and corrected it with a Trichocereus peruvianus photo. Also
worth also mentioning from Otts review is his speculation
that when a translation of this book eventually appeared in
English, it would be doubtful the book [would] see a commensurate quality of production this side of the Atlantic,
which is not the case. The Park Street Press offering is actually better than the original. Page quality is excellent, photographic images seem a tad sharper, and while the German
book was 7.75" X 10.75", the American edition is a larger
8.5" X 11.25", and sewn-and-glued with a higher number of
signatures. In short, this beautiful book is the ultimate reference volume on psychoactive plants. While the cost is high,
it is worth every penny. David Aardvark
Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Powers and the Poison Path by Dale Pendell. 2005 tba. (Mercury House, POB 192850, San Francisco,
CA 94119-2850, www.mercuryhouse.org), paperback 1-56279130-3. $21.95 [7" X 9"], 304 pp.
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KNOWLEDGE
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Contributors
Albert Hofmann
Rick Doblin
Charles Grob
John Halpern
Michael Mithoefer
Andrew Sewell
Casey William Freeblood Hardison
Daniel J. Siebert
Dana Larsen
Susan Blackmore
Dr. Wily
Benjamin Thomas
Jon Hanna
Jonathan Ott
K. Trout
Ima B. Leever
D.P., CA
Mulga
Clear
Scotto
David Aardvark
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