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Text Content

 * User’s Guide
   * Let in the light
   * What is Molly?
   * Getting Ready
   * Buying drugs/Pill testing
   * Pre-loading
   * The Art of ‘Rolling’
   * After the High
   * Drug Tests
   * MDMA Therapy
 * Science
   * MDMA Technical FAQ
   * How does MDMA work?
   * Overheating and hydration
   * Metabolism and toxicity
   * Mental Health and Addiction
   * Neurotoxicity/brain damage
   * Statistics
   * The Morgue
   * Making Molly
 * Prohibition
   * History of Prohibition
   * Results of Prohibition
   * Drug War alternatives
 * Videos
 * Contact


Select Page
 * User’s Guide
   * Let in the light
   * What is Molly?
   * Getting Ready
   * Buying drugs/Pill testing
   * Pre-loading
   * The Art of ‘Rolling’
   * After the High
   * Drug Tests
   * MDMA Therapy
 * Science
   * MDMA Technical FAQ
   * How does MDMA work?
   * Overheating and hydration
   * Metabolism and toxicity
   * Mental Health and Addiction
   * Neurotoxicity/brain damage
   * Statistics
   * The Morgue
   * Making Molly
 * Prohibition
   * History of Prohibition
   * Results of Prohibition
   * Drug War alternatives
 * Videos
 * Contact




A LOVE LETTER TO A BEAUTIFUL DRUG....


User's GuideMDMA Science



ASK THEDEA: HOW MUCH MDMA SHOULD PEOPLE TAKE FOR THERAPY?

The ‘easy’ (but not entirely accurate) answer is that the current research being
run by MAPS uses 120 mg.

But let’s go down the rabbit hole and see why they chose that amount!

The first problem in deciding dosages is that not everybody will be affected the
same way.

On average, larger people are less sensitive to MDMA; your weight matters. You
might think of it as being a bit like peeing in the pool; the bigger the pool
is, the less concentrated the pee will be. A bigger body gives more volume for
the drug to spread out in.

Your body composition also matters; if you’re mostly muscle, you’ll be less
effected than if you’re very overweight. That’s because MDMA dissolves easily in
water, but not very easily in fat. Blood and muscle are mostly water, but fat
doesn’t have nearly as much water in it (so more of the MDMA stays in the ‘wet’
tissues of your body, like your blood and brain.)

Sex matters as well. On average, men experience stronger ‘stimulant’ effects
from MDMA (energy, increased activity levels, blood pressure and pulse.) Women,
on the other hand, tend to experience stronger ‘psychedelic’ effects at the same
dose, with larger shifts in mood and perspective.

But that’s not always true. Personal genetics matter as well. Some people’s
brains are more sensitive to serotonin, for instance, or more or less able to
release it. Some people are also better at breaking down MDMA (mostly in the
liver), which can reduce the strength of the experience by actually reducing the
amount of MDMA in their system.

And then there’s mental/physical state and tolerance. An exhausted person isn’t
going to get as much out of the same dose of MDMA as they would when well rested
and excited. After all, drugs amplify or modify what’s already going on in your
head. It’s not drug = experience. It’s you + drug = experience!

So, even the most reasonable and informed ‘standard dose’ may be significantly
off the mark for any given individual. An exceptionally small/sensitive person
might be uncomfortable at 80 mg, while a huge professional athlete might be
comfortable at as much as 300 mg!

And then there’s the question of ‘how high did you want to be?’

For some people, the goal is just to feel a bit more relaxed and social. In that
case, low doses (around 70 mg for a 70 kg/155 lb person) would likely give them
what they want.

On the other hand, if you think the only proper MDMA experience means a
spiritual, overwhelming, at-one-with-the-universe explosion of sensory overload
joy in your brain, then a dose closer to 140 mg for that 70 kg (155 lb) person
is more likely to be the ‘right’ dose.

In the case of MDMA being used for PTSD therapy, the goal is to produce an
intense experience. So, a larger dose is usually going to be appropriate.

As far as why 120 mg was chosen for the research, it comes down to a bit of
science, a bit of bureaucracy, and a bit of marketing. The goal of the research
is to get FDA approval so MDMA can be legally used by therapists. That requires
picking a dosage that you’re actually going to sell the pills in, so the FDA can
decide if THAT dosage is safe and effective. 120 mg was chosen because it was
likely to be safe for the more sensitive patients, while being a high enough
dose to give enough people strong experiences (strong enough to help them) to
show that the medication is effective.

So, while it would make more sense to tailor the dosage to each patient based on
their particular profile, that would throw the system into chaos. Want a drug
approved for medical use? Then you need to pick a dosage to sell and show the
FDA that it’s reasonably safe and effective.

120 mg isn’t a special ‘ideal’ or ‘right’ dose. It’s a reasonable dose for most
people for what the researchers are trying to do. Your milage may vary; perhaps
by a lot!

But that doesn’t really answer the main question, does it? How much MDMA to
take, for therapy or fun? Let’s move past the theory and throw down some
reasonable estimates:

For a small (50 kg, 110 lb) person, 50 mg is likely to have mild but clearly
felt effects. 75 mg will likely produce a somewhat strong (but usually not
overwhelming) experience. 100 mg might produce a quite intense experience.

For a more ‘medium’ sized person (70 kg, 155 lbs) 70 mg will likely give a mild
experience, while 105 mg will likely give a moderately strong experience, and
140 mg is likely to give an intense experience.

For a large person (100 kg, 220 lbs), 100 mg might only by a mild experience,
while 150 mg will probably give a moderately strong experience, and 200 mg is
likely to be pretty intense.

If you’re new to MDMA, it’s best to start with a lower dose until you know how
you respond to it.

Measuring out drugs in such small dosages can be a real challenge. Small,
inexpensive, milligram scales (often sold for jewelry/gemstones) are easy to
find. Another option is if you have a gram of MDMA powder, you can dilute it
into water and then measure the water to dose. For instance, dissolving that 1
gram of MDMA into 1 liter of water will give you a dose of 1 mg per ml. So, if
you wanted to take 120 mg, you could then measure out 120 milliliters of the
water and drink that. (Sorry about the taste. Yes, it’s nasty.)

As always, keep in mind that your brain needs time to recover! For most people,
use should be limited to once a month or less. (But again, people vary. Some
people seem OK with once a week use, while for others even once a month adds up
and causes problems with mood, concentration, etc.)

MDMA DECLARED A "BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENT" BY FDA FOR PTSD

Exciting news from MAPS; the US Food and Drug Administration (responsible for
approving new medications) has ruled that MDMA (molly, ecstasy) is a potential
‘Breakthrough Treatment‘; a drug so important in it’s potential to help people
that it deserves special support.  That isn’t just a nice compliment; it means
that the FDA will give the MDMA therapy trials special fast-track access to the
drug approval process.

So far, MDMA therapy has been 68% successful in curing people suffering from
severe PTSD that has resisted treatment by any other means.   The potential for
this work to change (and save) many lives is extraordinary; people with PTSD
often suffer such severe anxiety and depression that they withdraw from their
lives and even commit suicide.   Unfortunately, the research is expensive.  MAPS
has raised half of the estimated $25 million they’ll need to finish the last
stage of research before the drug is made legal for medical use, but there’s
still a long way to go!   If you would like to help, consider making a donation.

CAUTION: LUNG DAMAGE FROM SNORTING MDMA

There’s been a recent medical report of a young man who died from snorting what
seems to have been a very large amount of MDMA powder.   While the exact
mechanism of death isn’t clear to me, there was clear evidence of severe damage
to his lungs from the MDMA powder, which seems to be the result of
vasoconstriction (greatly reduced local blood flow caused by MDMA tightening
blood vessels) combined with the irritating/acidic properties of MDMA powder
(‘molly’).

Snorting drugs has a long history of causing damage to the delicate tissues of
the sinuses, but this is the first case I’ve seen where serious damage was
caused directly to the lungs by snorting MDMA.  Although the risk is probably
low (the young man in question seems to have taken a spectacularly high dose),
it’s something for users to think about.

The safest way to take MDMA (and most other drugs) is orally, by swallowing the
drug.  The digestive system is fairly tough, having evolved to handle all sorts
of nasty things (like poisons, spoiled food, bacteria, etc.)

 

ASK THE DEA: CAN YOU MIX MDMA (MOLLY, ECSTASY) IN WATER OR OTHER BEVERAGES?

Certainly (it dissolves easily), although alkaloids (MDMA and many other drugs)
are often very bitter-tasting.   If you don’t mind the flavor, MDMA itself is a
fairly stable molecule; it should last a long time in liquid form (probably
until the beverage ‘went bad’ and mold or other microorganisms ate the MDMA.)
 Taking MDMA this way might cause it to take effect a little faster than usual
(since it’s already dissolved), but otherwise the effects will be the same as
taking a pressed pill or capsule.

Having a bottle of water (or juice or who knows what) spiked with MDMA does
create a danger of accidental poisoning.   Somebody (such as a small child)
might drink it without realizing that the odd flavor is a sign that something
isn’t right.  So if you do want to drink your molly, be careful not to leave the
spiked beverage sitting around where others might find it!

IS MDMA (MOLLY, ECSTASY) ILLEGAL? CAN I GET MDMA FROM MY DOCTOR?

Yes, MDMA is generally illegal to make, have, or sell.  As usual, the United
States was the driving force behind the global ‘drug war‘ against MDMA,
convincing the UN to add it to an agreement that most member UN nations follow
(to varying degrees.)  As a result, MDMA is more or less illegal in most
(possibly all) countries.

There are exceptions for research and for prescription use, but MDMA hasn’t been
approved yet as a prescription medication.  So, you can’t get it from your
doctor yet (but you might be able to in 5-10 years.)  If you feel you might
benefit from MDMA therapy, there’s a chance you might qualify to take part in
one of the MAPS research projects.

CAN DRUG DOGS SMELL ACID (LSD)?

It’s an old and common belief that LSD is “odorless and tasteless”.  Neither
is quite true.  The reason people think it doesn’t have a smell or taste is
simply because a tab of acid contains such tiny amounts of LSD that there isn’t
enough for a person to smell or easily taste it. (For example, a gram of MDMA
contains perhaps eight doses.  But a gram of LSD contains around 10,000 doses!)
 But, if you get a large enough amount of it together even a human should be
able to detect a smell to the drug.

So, it does have a smell.  How much LSD would you need to have on you in order
for it to smell strongly enough for a dog to detect?  I can’t find an answer to
that, I’m afraid, although it seems likely that in the usual scenario (a user
with a couple tabs in a plastic bag) there seems to be no real chance of enough
LSD getting into the air for a dog to pick up the scent.  (But most people
carrying LSD will also smoke pot, which gives the dogs something much easer to
smell on you and your clothes and alert on, even if you don’t have marijuana in
your pockets.)

The more interesting question might be “are dogs trained to look for the smell
of LSD?”  Sometimes, yes (they even make a ‘fake LSD’ scented substance for
training dogs.)  So, there are certainly some drug dogs out there that have been
trained to spot a shipment of LSD.  However, dogs are not trained to spot
‘drugs’ as a category.  Instead, they are trained to identify specific drugs.
For instance, a dog might be trained to ‘alert’ when it smells marijuana or
cocaine.  (Usually an ‘alert’ involves scratching at whatever the scent is
coming from, but it varies.  Some dogs are trained to sit down next to the item
and wait.)

Most dogs will be trained to spot several different drugs, but it’s rare for a
dog to be trained to spot a large variety of drugs.  Most dogs simply can’t
reliably be trained to do it, and each drug that the dog has been trained on
requires consistent re-enforcement (you have to keep training the dog to look
for that smell, as well as making sure it’s going after the right smell and not
something else, like the smell of a plastic bag.)

As a result, most dogs will only alert on a couple of different drugs.  (If
they’re trained on drugs at all; search dogs at airports, for instance, are
often looking for food/animal products or explosives and wouldn’t react if they
came upon a kilo of heroin.)  And, while LSD is certainly illegal and law
enforcement has an interest in stopping it, it’s also one of the less common
drugs and a low priority.  Most drug sniffing dogs will not be trained to
identify it; it isn’t worth the trouble.

The drug sniffing dog is one of the most notoriously abused police tactics:  A
dog handler can easily get the dog to ‘alert’ on command, giving them an excuse
to search people they merely suspect or dislike.  Always say that you refuse to
allow you or your property to be searched (but never physically resist); if the
police officer has a legal right to search you they won’t ask.  For more
information on what your rights are, check out Flex Your Rights.

CAN YOU DIE FROM REAL MDMA?

Fake pills and fake ‘molly’ (MDMA powder) have been a big problem, but it is
possible for even genuine, pure MDMA to cause death, even without the user
making a mistake like drinking extreme amounts of water or mixing drugs.  
Although MDMA overdose deaths are quite rare, they can be spectacularly ugly.
 MDMA can reduce blood flow to your skin, which makes it harder to lose heat to
your surroundings.  It can also greatly increase metabolism, causing your body
to produce a lot more heat.  And since you’re high, you may not notice that
something is wrong.  As a fatal overdose progresses, you tend to severely
overheat.  This overheating starts to cause the breakdown of a lot of tissues,
including the clotting mechanisms that stop bleeding.   You begin to bleed
internally, while at the same time your muscles begin to break down, dumping a
lot of toxic junk into your bloodstream.  All this ‘pollution’ overwhelms
your already heat-weakened kidneys and liver, poisoning them.   You
would typically suffer, fall into a coma, and die of multiple organ failure.

It might be tempting to think that overdosing on a drug as enjoyable as
MDMA might be a nice way to go, but it’s one of the nastier deaths recreational
drug use has to offer.   If you believe somebody has overdosed on any drug, get
them prompt medical attention!  Call emergency services (like 911 in the
US) without worrying about the consequences.  Angry parents and medical bills
are never as big a problem as being dead.

So, yes; real MDMA can kill you.   The safest thing to do is not use drugs, but
the next best thing is to use in moderation.   Try to stick to a single,
moderate dose of MDMA; resist the urge to keep re-dosing to stay high all night
long at a party, and try to know what you’re taking in terms of the strength of
pills or dosage of powders.

CAN I GIVE MY DOG MOLLY (MDMA)?

Uhhh. Probably, but…

The first question is “can a dog get high on MDMA the way a human can?” The
experience might not be quite the same for a dog, but the areas of the brain
(and the chemistry that controls them) involved in how drugs work are
evolutionarily ‘highly conserved’. Which is to say, the wiring tends to work
pretty much the same in dogs, rats, humans, etc. There’s also been a lot of
research on MDMA’s effects on other animals that suggests they feel something
similar to what we feel at recreational doses. So far so good; from a strictly
neurological standpoint a dog can probably ‘roll’ (get high) on MDMA.

The first problem is dosage. Different animals can be more or less sensitive to
a drug, and that’s before taking into account questions of the size of the dog,
any health issues they might have, etc. A wrong assumption could result in a
fatal overdose for your dog. MDMA overdoses can be a spectacular death; your
body temperature runs out of control, you start to bleed internally, and your
organs break down one after another. It’s a horrible way to go for any creature,
human or otherwise.

Assuming you could figure out what the right dosage is, your dog might not
handle getting high very well. There’s a famous case from the CIA’s MK-ULTRA
project (where random people were poisoned with LSD, among many other strange
and terrible things.) One of their victims had a very, very bad trip and
eventually ended up committing suicide. It’s not safe to assume a dog won’t
panic on the come-up and have a horrible experience.

Your dog also can’t explain it to you if something is wrong; if they had a bad
reaction to the drug, you might not realize anything was wrong until it was too
late to help them.

So, please don’t experiment on your pets. If you’re lucky, they might have fun.
If not, they may be severely traumatized or even killed.

Have a question, crazy or otherwise?  Feel free to contact me.  Or, swing by the
Bluelight forums and join the discussion!

IS MOLLY DIFFERENT THESE DAYS BECAUSE OF A NEW WAY OF MAKING IT?

Probably not.  In recent years MDMA synthesis has shifted from using safrole and
other traditional precursors as their starting material.  A chemical called PMK
glycidate became popular as the starting material since it wasn’t regulated by
law enforcement.  This has led some people to speculate that MDMA made with this
new method might have a different balance of isomers.  Isomers are slightly
different forms of the MDMA molecule, much the way a right and left shoe are
almost identical, but mirror images of each other.  One isomer called S(+) is a
powerful dopamine releaser and could be thought of as the euphoric ‘fire’ of
MDMA.  The other isomer, R(-), is mostly a serotonin releaser and could be
thought of as the warmth and empathy of the MDMA high.  MDMA sold on the streets
is “racemic”; an equal mix of both isomers.  Chemists end up with a mix of the
two isomers because the synthesis process isn’t selective; whether a given
molecule will be created as one isomer or the other is random.

The traditional precursor (PMK, also called MDP2P) doesn’t come in isomers;
there’s only one form, which gets randomized to either S(+) MDMA or R(-) MDMA
during the synthesis process.   PMK glycidate (the starting material for the
currently most popular method) has a bias; each molecule starts out as one
isomer or another.   This has led some people to wonder if this couldn’t result
in batches of MDMA that were (for instance) all or mostly just one isomer or the
other.

However, the process for turning PMK glycidate into MDMA starts by breaking down
the glycidate, turning it back into plain PMK (MDP2P), which eliminates any bias
towards one isomer or the other (by eliminating what chemists call the chiral
center.)

As a result, the end product is still randomly formed, giving a 50:50 mix of
both MDMA isomers.

Which seems like it would solve the debate, but there is one potential catch:
 The new method might in some cases introduce new contaminants that could, in
theory, affect the high.  But, that shouldn’t be even a theoretical issue if the
drug is properly purified during production.

Most cases of ‘weak molly’ are probably due to drugs that have been cut with
other powders to make more money, or they could be entirely different drugs
(such as the various ‘research chemicals’, drugs that the government hasn’t
gotten around to outlawing yet.)  If you have a suspicious pill, there are
excellent home testing kits, and you can even send it in to a lab for
professional analysis through EcstasyData.org

Lab testing of ‘molly’, ‘ecstasy’, and MDMA powders and pills generally suggests
that the MDMA supply these days is more trustworthy, purer, and stronger than
ever before, but of course caution is always a good idea.

Have a question?  You can e-mail me, or join the discussion at Bluelight.

Welcome to TheDEA.org: The definitive guide to the drug MDMA (Molly, ecstasy)
since 2003.

THE USER'S GUIDE

The legendary guide to fun and safety!

SCIENCE AND STATISTICS

How dangerous is MDMA (Molly, ecstasy)? Can it really make holes in your brain?

PROHIBITION

The origins and results of the ‘War on Drugs’

US DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY 1% EFFECTIVE (1/2/06)

Over at the other DEA, they hoisted champagne this New Year’s in celebration of
their most successful year yet of hunting down drug-trade profits. According to
Administrator Karen Tandy in remarks on C-SPAN, “up to” $1.9 billion in drugs,
cash, cars, etc. were seized over the past year, representing about 3% of the
total annual wealth produced by the US drug trade. (The most recent White House
estimate I can find puts the total trade at about $65 billion a year.) When only
drug seizures were counted, the total haul for the year was $477 million; well
below 1% of the entire drug market. Tandy hailed this record level of seizures
as proof that the drug war was working.

Roaring success is all a matter of perspective, it seems. 1% effective. You just
can’t make these things up. If the Emperor has any clothes on, it’s no more than
a G-string.

(Though perhaps the bigger lesson is ‘if you have a question, make an effort to
properly research the answer.’ I had a question (how effective is the DEA?) I
found the answer. And now it’s a part of the DEA Wikipedia page. And it’s never
going away. Mwahahahah….)

THE MYSTERY OF 'METH MOUTH'

Long-term use of meth can take a heavy toll on a person, of course, but few
examples of meth wear-and-tear are as graphic as the sort of severe tooth
deterioration seen here. (Photo from TeethPictures.org.)



Usually the mainstream ‘authorities’ will tell you that this happens because of
all the horrible, toxic chemicals used to make meth, like drain clog removers.
The real story is a bit more complicated, so hold down your lunch and let’s talk
tooth science!

Bacteria like to live on our teeth, since they get fed whenever we eat. In order
to make sure they can (literally) stick around in the mouth the bacteria turn
sugar into the sticky stuff we know as plaque. The metabolism of the bacteria
creates a lot of acid as a waste product.

The outer layer of a tooth (the white part we see) is enamel. The enamel is
mostly a crystal of calcium phosphate, which acid can slowly eat away. Our
body’s main defense against this damage is saliva, which helps to wash away the
acid being produced by bacteria before it can do too much damage. That’s why
sugar-free gum can actually help prevent tooth decay: Chewing gum increases
saliva production. Our main behavioral defense is brushing our teeth, since
brushing can remove most of the bacteria and plaque that have built up during
the day.

Heavy meth use is a sort of perfect storm for tooth destruction. It reduces
saliva production (part of a water-conserving stress response that also
contributes to hyponatremia deaths among ecstasy users), making it easier for
acid levels to build up. People on a binge tend to have lousy nutrition (sugary
drinks like soda seem to be particularly popular), and personal hygiene tends to
be neglected (so the bacterial population isn’t being held in check by
brushing.) Heavy meth users tend not to visit a dentist, either for regular
checkups (or even when there clearly is deterioration.) As a result, the
bacteria are free to run wild, creating a lot of acid to break down the user’s
teeth.

‘Meth mouth’ can happen no matter how you get the drug into your system,
although smoking probably makes things even worse, since the meth itself
contains some acid. (The acid acts like tiny magnets, holding the meth molecules
together into crystals. If you removed the acid, you would have methamphetamine
freebase, which is an oily liquid; a bit hard to transport and sell.)

Stimulants like meth (and ecstasy, for that matter) also tend to cause bruxism
(clenching and grinding your teeth.) This can wear down enamel by itself, can
create grooves in your teeth that make a great hiding place for bacteria to grow
in, and in severe cases can even crack the enamel (after all, it’s a crystal.)

If you’re going to use meth (or any other drug), I think the best advice is to
be very careful about the frequency of use creeping up over time. Addiction
doesn’t simply leap into existence over-night. Nobody gets addicted from one
dose. Instead, you get hooked a little bit at a time, slowly and subtly enough
that you usually don’t even notice it’s happening until it’s too late.

The only entirely safe drug use is not to use. If you do use, safer drug use
means limiting dosages and the frequency of use. Pay attention to how often you
use, how much you take, and whether you’re getting cravings to use. If your
usage (or side effects) creep upwards over time, take a break for several
months. If that seems like too much of a sacrifice, that’s all the more reason
to be afraid of where things might be going.

MERCK PHARMACEUTICALS DIGS THE LOST HISTORY OF MDMA (ECSTASY) OUT OF THEIR
ARCHIVES (8/23/06)

It’s become conventional wisdom among a lot of people that MDMA was originally
developed as an appetite suppressant. There was never any evidence to support
such claims, but that hasn’t stopped them from popping up in even respectable
research journals. Perhaps taking a new interest in what may become a
commercially valuable drug, Merck, the company that first created MDMA in 1912,
has gone through their own records to find out what exactly they did create the
substance for.

Nobody knew MDMA was a psychoactive drug at first. Instead, they created what
would eventually become ‘ecstasy’ as an insignificant intermediate chemical used
to manufacture other, potentially useful medications to control bleeding.

In 1927, a Merck researcher rediscovered MDMA, noting that it had a structural
similarity to adrenaline. Animal experiments were performed, but the details
have been lost beyond some notes that MDMA was somewhat toxic and promoted
muscle contraction, etc. His investigation was apparently brief, noting that the
chemicals needed to produce MDMA were expensive and it’s potential use as a
stimulant was intriguing but unproven.

In 1952 MDMA appeared again at Merck in the form of a brief note that flies
exposed to the substance became unconscious, then died.

In 1959, an investigation into MDMA’s potential use as a stimulant was again
undertaken, but the details have been lost. The first human tests may have
occurred in 1959 or shortly thereafter. Thirteen years later, MDMA was
discovered being sold as a drug in Chicago.

See: What is Molly? The history of MDMA.

DEPRESSED, ANXIOUS CHILDREN MORE LIKELY TO TRY 'ECSTASY' (1/1/06)

Reporting on the results of a study of 1580 Dutch children over a 14 year
period, researchers have found that depression or anxiety problems during
childhood doubled the likelihood that a child would eventually try ‘ecstasy’.
This result is consistent with earlier findings that psychological problems in
general increased the likelihood of ‘ecstasy’ use later in life.

This correlation between childhood emotional problems and drug use is not in of
itself new, although detailed data of the connection between specific problems
and ‘ecstasy’ use is. Given that emotionally troubled people are also at greater
risk of drug addiction, childhood mental health intervention may prove to be an
invaluable tool for combating drug abuse and addiction later in life.

Read the journal article.

SUPREME COURT UNANIMOUSLY UPHOLDS USE OF PSYCHEDELIC TEA (AYAHUASCA) (2/21/06)

In an 8-0 ruling led by the conservative new Chief Justice Roberts, the US
Supreme Court has struck down government efforts to prevent the religious group
O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal (UDV) from importing and using
ayahuasca (‘huasca’), a hallucinogenic tea containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine
(DMT, a Schedule 1 drug.)

The use of ayahuasca for shamanic practices and healing rituals dates back
thousands of years in South America. The UDV church was founded in Brazil,
combining Christian teachings with the shamanic traditions of the rain forest’s
native peoples. There are about 130 members in the US (although the church has a
far larger presence in Brazil.)

The group came under fire when customs intercepted a shipment of the sacramental
tea (apparently 14 previous shipments of the drug-laced liquid had gone
unnoticed.) Faced with the loss of their central religious sacrament and threats
of arrest, the Church sued the US government, claiming that the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act (a law passed in 1993 primarily to protect the rights of
peyote using Native American tribes) exempted them from the Controlled
Substances Act (which outlaws DMT.) The government countered that there was a
compelling interest (as required by the RFR Act) to stop the use of ayahuasca to
1. Protect the health of Church members; 2. Prevent diversion of the tea to the
black market; and 3. To uphold international (UN) drug control treaties. The
court ruled that the government had failed to make a convincing argument on any
of these grounds, upholding the decision of a lower court that the Church had
the right to practice their religion by using ayahuasca.

While certainly a triumph for the UDV, this ruling may also pave the way for
other religious groups who use psychoactive drugs as part of their practices
(such as the Rastafarians, who use marijuana, albeit in a less ritualized manner
than the UDV uses ayahuasca.)

Read the Supreme Court Ruling