textfiles/drugs/psychchm.drg

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Information from:
Psychedlic chemistry,
By Michael Valentine Smith,
Loompanics Unlimited,
Port Townsend, Washington.
Pages 163 - 167. 

Loompanics Unlimited, PO Box 1197, P.Townsend, WA 98368.


		MISCELLANEOUS PSYCHEDELICS 

Mexican  Mint
	Leaves of the Mexican mint family (Saliva divornum) are chewed
by some Mexican Indians for their Hallucinogenic properties. Nurseries and seed
companies sell various species. Saliva divonorum is cultivated by the 
Mazatecs of Oaxaca, Mexico and seems not to grow wild. They use the juice from
about 60 leaves.

Catnip
	Smoking leaves of Catnip (Nepeta cataria) produces only mild effects in
man.Freshly pickled leaves are probably more potent. Seeds seem to be readily
available.

Nitrous Oxide
	The laughing gas trip is very interesting, but very short 
(a few minutes). Since breathing N2O for longer periods will produce
anoxia, mixtures containing 20% oxygen and up to 80% N2O can be breathed
for longer periods. DO not breath gas directly from a tank as it can freeze
your lungs. N2O can be produced by heating ammonium nitrate at 240 degrees
until gas evolution ceases (The gas should leave the flask through a tube
passing successively through a water trap and a water filled bottle, before 
collection in a plastic bag.)
Alternatively, N2O is present in the bulbs used in whippped cream dispensers.

Rat Root
	The root of the plant Acorus Calamus (also called flag root 
and sweet calomel), grows over much of the world, is chewed by the cree indians
of Canada to produce psychedelic effects.Active compound asarone - a precursor
on an hallucinogenic amphetamine.

	Ibogaine
	  Active constituent of the plant Tabernanthe Iboga, used by
African Natives. 

Kava kava
Plant Piper Methysticum extracts have been used in Polynesia for thousands
of years, and Piper Plantagiveum is similarly used in Mexico and the
Caribbean. Produce a sleepy, relaxed feeling with eventual difficulty in
walking. About 3 grams is neccessary

Heimia
	Leaves of various kinds of Heimia species found in the
highlands of Central and South America. Hallucinations are mainly 
auditory. Active compound cryogenine.

Betel Nut
	The nut of a palm tree chewed by millions of asians with the leaves
also of Piper betel to produce mild stimulatory effects. Arecolin and
arecaidinen are among the active constituents.

Canary Weed
	Blosoms (mainly) of Genista Canariens and probably the related
genus Cytisus give a mild psychedelic effect when smoked. Plants are 
available at many nurseries.

Club Moss
	Lycopodium gnidiodes is said to be similar to Marijuana when smoked.
Some members of the genus Myrothamnus are also active.

Nutmeg
	About 75 gramms taken in milk (25 gramms per glass, skull it) will 
produce in about 3 hours some interesting effects, including visual 
hallucinations. Active costituents similar to mescaline and amphetamines. 
Available at any grocery store at a cost of about 80 cents for 50 gramms.

Mimosa
Roots of the sensitive plants of the genus mimosa are
known to contain DMT.

Phenothiazines
	Some phenothiazine derivatives (tranquilizers) can be hallucinogenic
at high doses. eg imipramine (Tofranil) at oral dose of about 1 g and Parsidol at 100 mg.

PCP
	Not recomended as has tendency to produce bummers. Sold as Angel dust,
Sernyl, Phencyclidine. Has been used as an animal tranquiliser and general
anaesthetic for human surgery.Produces no visual effects, a tendency to fear and
anxiety. Trip is short (2 hours), at about 10 mg.

Antiparkinson Drugs
eg Benactyzine can be hallucinogenic at higher doses, but because of there
simularity to glycolate esters, they should be avoided.

Ditran and other glycolate esters
	Usually complete amnesia for all but the early portion of the experience
 However, judicious use of small quantities may provide a seperate reality 
unattainable by any other means. Best classified as simple delirium.

Belladonna
	Hysoscyamine is the active constituent of the shrub Atropa belladonna
and of jimson weed (Datura stramonium). Related drug scopolamine occurs in various
plants such as henbane (Hyoscyamus niger). These compounds found in many non
prescreption cold remedies, motion sickness tablets, etc. Produce excitation,
dry mouth, increased heart rate, etc.( Can be lethal if use heaps too much.), and
later hallucinations. The trip is very heavy, people often being delerious
for long periods, unable to tell real from imaginary; carrying on imaginary
conversations, smoking non-existent ciggarettes, etc. Not recommended as have
a strong tendencie to make you delerious and totally spaced out..


MTQ
Also known as wallbangers , this drug is sometimes fatal(especially when used
with alcohol) and best left alone.

Ketamine
	Snorting ketamine gives brief but bizzare effects.



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Also, I included this for your interest:


From: The Sydney Morning Herald
Date: Monday August 17 1992



		THE DECRIMINALISATION OF MARIJUANA

We wish to support the views expressed by Mr John Marsden (Herald, August 10)
concerning the "decriminalisation" of marijuana.  We would like to make
several brief comments on this issue. [John Marsden is president of the NSW
Law Society]

  1. The major concern with the use of any drug is the potential that the drug
has to cause harm.  Although marijuana is certainly not a perfectly harmless 
drug(no drug is!), it is our considered view, based on laboratory and clinical 
literature, that it is, indeed, less dangerous than alcohol.

  2. Marijuana has been the most widely used of the illegal drugs in this 
country for at least the last 25 years.  However over this time, the proportion
of this using population who have sought or required treatment for marijuana-
related problems has been very small.  Certainly they have been far less 
numerous than those from the smaller population of users of other illegal drugs
who have sought or required treatment.
  It is also strongly arguable that, in proportion to the number of users,
there are still fewer casualties to marijuana use then there are to alcohol 
use.

  3. In those places where a policy of decriminalisation has been introduced
(eg. South Australia), there has been no evidence of an increase in the use
of the drug or in the number requiring treatment for marijuana-related 
problems.

  4. The social costs associated with the treatment of marijuana-related 
illness cannot be seen to be a cause for concern and these are dwarfed in
comparison with those associated with alcohol or tobacco.

  5. On the other hand, the financial costs to the State for the enforcement of
the present marijuana laws(both policing and court costs) appear to us to be
not only very high, but without justification.

		(Dr) G. B. Chesher
		(Dr) M. J. Christie
	Department of Pharmacology,
	  The University of Sydney,
	                    Sydney.

[MBG - n.b. Mac Christie is one of my lecturers in Pharmacology. ;-)]
--
Curse you yogurt! You have brought me to a condition where only death
offers solace! A solace that is denied.