DMT

COMMON NAMES: businessman's trip, one-hit grass

More of a dropping-by-to-say-hi than a real trip to Psychedelic City, DMT provides a fast peek at the world of hallucinogens. The journey begins almost instantly, peaks within twenty or thirty mlnutes, and is over within the hour.

DMT, or n,n-dimethyltryptamine, is an active ingredient in .several South- American plants used by Indians to create hallucinogenic snuffs for their religious rituals. DMT may . also be produced synthetically as a tasteless, colorless crystal powder or liquid. A close cousin, DET, or diethyltryptamine, produces a milder, longer-lasting trip than DMT, but has its. roots in the same chemical family of tryptamines . A dose: of 3.5-5 mg is usually combined with tobacco, parsley, or marijuana and smoked. Ground into a powder, DMT may be snorted like snuff, eaten, or prepared for injection.

The first few minutes of the trip may be intensely: psychedelic, accompanied by momentary dizziness and an increase in heart and respiratory rates. Nausea will occur if DMT is taken on a full stomach. Disorientation and confusion- soon give way to the LSD-like effects, as the tripper floats through a variety of sensations; perceived, color and size changes, visual, and time distortions, and an intoxicated, dizzy feeling combined with a sense of increased alertness and clear vision. The mini-LSD sensations are mini- in time, not effect.

Once the short journey has reached its end, no hangover or side effects remain as souvenirs, unless the user wasn't feeling well to begin with, or overdid the dosage. Moderation is the key. If the drug is taken before going to bed, sleep: may be difficult.

Large doses may cause blood to rush to the head, rupturing weak capillaries in the brain. The injection of DMT may cause the usual complications associated with introducing a needle into tissue: infection, abscess, tetanus, gangrene, and malaria.

Lethal overdose is unlikely, however, and addiction is unknown.

The greatest danger of DMT is its action as an MAO inhibitor, meaning that when combined with the wrong things, it may result in dangerous, changes in blood pressure, headache, heart trouble, or death. Tranquilizers, amphetamines, atropine, ritalin, insulin, antihistamines, alcohol, avocados, broad beans (pods), excessive caffeine, canned figs,' chicken liver, sedatives, mescaline, nutmeg, aged cheeses, any quantity of' milk products, ripe bananas, excessive chocolate, pickled herring, yeast extract, excessive licorice, pineapple,. cocoa, narcotics, sauerkraut, ephidrine, macromerine, and oils of dill, parsley, and wild fennel should be avoided. If you have combined DMT with any of the above, strong headache and vomiting will be signs that medical attention is needed.

Legal in its natural form, extracted 5-MeO-DMT, falls under the Drug Abuse Control Amendment, with a fine of up td $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year for a first conviction for possession.