Mr. Prall

DEFINITION Hallucinogen – A drug that causes

hallucinations, or profound distortions in the person’s perceptions of reality.

Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist.

TRIP Trip - An instance or period of being under

the influence of a hallucinogenic drug. Ex – He tripped out on LSD.

No one can predict when a hallucinogen user will have a bad trip. Dosage, the specific drug, and the setting in which it’s taken all affect the user’s experience. The bottom line is this… Hallucinogens are unpredictable! This makes

them extremely dangerous!

TRIP CONT. There is no effective treatment for a bad trip.

Only hacing the drug wear off will make imagined demons go away. Books and articles recommend trying to calm distressed users in a quiet, uncrowded spot. But, friends who are high themselves can’t be counted on for help.

FLASHBACK Flashback – An unexpected relieved

experience from a hallucination.

A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a year after hallucinogen use.

Both frequent users and one-time experimenters can find themselves on another trip when they least expect it. While driving a car, swimming, playing sports.

FLASHBACK CONT. One young woman’s flashback was so

intense she jumped out the window in a high-rise apartment building. The flashback came 6 months after her only use ever with LSD.

INTRODUCTION Human beings have used hallucinogens for centuries,

primarily in ancient cultural and religious ceremonies. As a part of their religion, for example, certain American Indian tribes used the hallucinogen peyote to experience "spiritual visions.”

Hallucinogen abuse soared in the 1960’s and 70’s, but mainly due to the “Hippie” movement. During the 1980’s abuse rates dropped. However, during the 1990’s and in present day abuse rates are on the rise.

As of 2008, nearly 9% of all 12th grade students have reported using hallucinogens at least once in their lifetime.

INTRODUCTION CONT. Hallucinogens are among the oldest known

drugs that have been used for their ability to alter human perception and mood. For centuries, many of the naturally occurring hallucinogens found in plants and fungi have been used for medical, social and religious practices. 

In recent years, a number of synthetic hallucinogens have been produced, some of which are much stronger than their naturally occurring counterparts.

CATEGORIES Although hallucinogen drugs are grouped as

“hallucinogens”, we will break them into two different categories: Animals/plants Laboratories

ANIMALS/PLANTS

Mescaline Psilocybin mushrooms Jimsonweed Ayahuasca Bufotenine

These hallucinogens can be found in either plants…or animals!

MESCALINE

Mescaline – A hallucinogen obtained from a small spineless cactus Peyote.

From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by natives in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of traditional religious rites.

The drug is usually taken orally, without chewing, although it can still be smoked, or even injected.

It’s chemical structure is close to that of an amphetamine (stimulant).

MESCALINE CONT.

Street names: Buttons Peyote Mesc

Mescaline acts on the Central Nervous System (CNS).

How long does a trip on mescaline last for? 12 hours!

MESCALINE PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS

Dilated pupils Increased Heart Rate Increased Blood Pressure Anxiety Feeling of dying Fear of not being able to return to normal

consciousness. Lethal doses produce convulsions, breath-

arrests and heart failures. Death is due to respiratory failure

MESCALINE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS Vomiting usually occurs after ingestion. A

user then sees sensory images and flashes of color, followed by geometric patterns and sometimes images of people and animals.

Time and space perception are distorted. People get the feeling of being “outside” their

bodies. One user’s account - "In a matter of instants,

a tunnel formed around me, very low and narrow, hard and strangely cold. It felt to the touch like a wall of solid tinfoil. I remember having to crawl towards a sort of round point where the tunnel ended; when I finally arrived, if I did, I had forgotten all."

PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS There are many types of psilocybin

mushrooms, so we will keep it general.

Can also be called psilocin.

Psilocybin mushrooms – A hallucinogenic compound obtained from certain mushrooms.

Use of these mushrooms is ancient. Statues of mushrooms dating from A.D. 100-1400 appear throughout Mexico and Central America.

Probably the second most frequently used hallucinogen in the United States.

PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS CONT. How are they taken?

Eaten raw Cooked in food Brewed in tea Dried and ingested

Street names: Magic mushrooms “Shrooms”

How long does a trip last? 5-6 hours

PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS Nausea Dilated pupils Tightness in the neck

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS

Induce sensory hallucinations Hear things that are not real

Is it addictive? It is not considered an addictive drug like

cocaine, heroin or alcohol because it does not produce the same compulsive drug-seeking behavior. However, like addictive drugs, it produces greater tolerance in some users who take the drug repeatedly. These users must take higher doses to achieve the same results as they have had in the past. This could be an extremely dangerous practice because of the unpredictability of the drug effect on an individual.

JIMSONWEED Jimsonweed -  A common name for a plant

known botanically as Datura stramonium, which has been used as a medicine and intoxicant for centuries.

It’s name comes from colonial Jamestown, where settlers became very ill after mistakenly eating it in a salad.

It is found in most of the continental United States from New England down to Texas.

JIMSONWEED CONT. Jamestown story - As told by Robert Beverly in The

History and Present State of Virginia (1705): The soldiers presented "a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several days: one would blow up a feather in the air; another would dart straws at it with much fury; and another, stark naked, was sitting up in a corner like a monkey, grinning and making mows at them; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic than any in a Dutch droll.

"In this frantic condition they were confined, lest they should, in their folly, destroy themselves - though it was observed that all their actions were full of innocence and good nature. Indeed they were not very cleanly; for they would have wallowed in their own excrements, if they had not been prevented. A thousand such simple tricks they played, and after 11 days returned themselves again, not remembering anything that had passed."

JIMSONWEED CONT. Street names:

Thornapple Stinkweed Locoweed

Was originally called Jamestown weed.

How long does a trip last for? Depending on the dosage, on average 24-48

hours!

PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS OF JIMSONWEED Dry mouth Increased heart rate Elevated body temperature Increased breathing Dilated pupils Blurred vision

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF JIMSONWEED Amnesia Confusion Delerium (Sudden severe confusion) Bizarre dream state

AYAHUASCA Ayahuasca – A plant-based hallucinogen that

users ingest as a drink containing a combination of plant products.

For centuries the Amazonian Indians have been drinking it. The Indians believe it cleanses body and mind

and enables communication with spirits. Common Names:

Caapi Yage Vegetal

AYAHUASCA EFFECTS Nightmarish visions that last for hours. There are many accounts of people

experiencing near-death experiences. Most hallucinations are visual, although there

are some accounts of sensory hallucinations.

BUFOTENINE Bufotenine - A poisonous hallucinogenic

alkaloid obtained from the skin glands of toads of the genus Bufo or from some mushrooms.

Found in the skin of psychoactive toads. Orally taken by licking the toads skin.

Now there are ways to extract the poison from the toad by milking it under the chin. It can then be created in a substance to be smoked.

BUFOTENINE EFFECTS Powerful constrictor of blood vessels Increases blood pressure Blocks serotonin Cramped muscles Blurred vision Temporary paralysis

LABORATORIES LSD PCP DMT

These drugs are synthetically produced.

LSD LSD – A crystalline compound derived from lysergic

acid and used as a powerful hallucinogenic drug. 

LSD is an acronym for lysergic acid diethylamide.

LSD was discovered in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hoffman. It is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

LSD is also known as “acid”.

Best known and most commonly used hallucinogen in the United States

LSD CONT. LSD is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly

bitter taste.

Usually taken orally, although it can be placed on blotter paper, and then divided up for multiple uses. Also sold in gelatin squares and pills.

Less than .001 gram of LSD produces extreme hallucinations!

LSD takes effect within 30 minutes, and it can last up to 12 hours.

LSD EFFECTS CONT.

The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.

The psychological effects of LSD; users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and despair while using LSD. Some fatal accidents have occurred during states of LSD intoxication.

LSD EFFECTS IN TIME

0-30 minutes: Dizziness, nausea, weakness, twitches, and anxiety.

30-60 minutes: Blurred vision, increased contrasts, visual patterns, feelings of unreality, lack of coordination, tremulous speech.

1-4 hours: Increased visual effects, wavelike motions, impaired distance perception, euphoria, slow passage of time.

4-7 hours: Waning off the above effects 7-12 hours: Become returning to normal Late Effects: Headache, fatigue,

contemplative state.

PCP PCP is short for Phencyclidine.

PCP - A drug used in veterinary medicine as an anesthetic and illegally as a hallucinogen.

PCP was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic but, due to the side effects of confusion and delirium, its development for human medical use was discontinued.

PCP CONT. Street names:

Angel dust Hog Lovely Wack Embalming fluid Rocket Fuel Ozone

PCP is produced in liquid, powder, and tablet form. There are numerous methods of taking it. It is smoked (in a powdered form), snorted, injected, or swallowed.

PCP EFFECTS

A moderate amount of PCP often causes users to feel detached, distant, and estranged from their surroundings. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood disorders, and amnesia may also occur.

High doses can cause seizures, coma, and even death. Illusions occur, and unlike LSD, the likely- hood of having visual hallucinations is very low.

Like LSD it is highly unpredictable. Some users feel out of touch with their bodies and surroundings. Others get so revved up they become violent.

PCP HEALTH HAZARDS PCP is addictive and its use often leads to

psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior. Users of PCP report memory loss, difficulties with speech and learning, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development.

DMT DMT – A natural, or synthetic, hallucinogenic

drug, similar to LSD in its effects, which are, however, more rapid in onset and shorter in duration.

DMT is by far the most powerful psychedelic known to man.

It can be naturally found, or synthesized. DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by

Canadian chemist Richard Manske. DMT can be found in psychoactive toads, but

in very low dosages.

DMT CONT.

It can also be found in the beans of the tree Anadenanthera peregrina, which grows in Northern and Central South America. It has been used by South American tribes as hallucinogenic snuff called yopo or cohoba.

Ancient cultures brewed teas from plants containing DMT for use in religious ceremonies.

The effects of the drug are felt almost instantly, and effects usually wear off after an hour. Because of how quickly the effects wear of it has

been nicknamed “businessman's special”.

DMT EFFECTS OVER TIME 0-15 seconds - your lungs start to burn, feels

like you want to cough. 15-45 seconds - You will hear a very loud

whooshing sound in your ears and it will continue to get louder and louder, and you eventual feel your self almost blow up and enter this new universe.

45 seconds-1 min - You will break through into another universe, known to many DMT users and DMT hyperspace. Your heart will begin to beat faster and your pulse will significantly rise.

DMT EFFECTS OVER TIME CONT. 1 min- 5min - You are no longer in your body

and you are floating in this hyperspace universe. Many things can be seen in this universe. Many people reports a kind of 4th dimension looking place with everything in 3d plus a sort of time shifting that happens every few seconds. You may see different beings or entities that look like a sort of religious figure or god.

5 - 10min - The visions eventually fade in and out. There are still many patterns and textures when your eyes are closed but when your eyes are open you will see the basic vision of the real world.

10- 45 min - You have a slight feeling of euphoria that will last for about 30 minutes after you experience the visual trip.