Mescaline

Presentation by: Kylee Cutler

HLTH 1050-003

Gustavo Ibarra, PhD

What is Mescaline?

• It is a hallucinogenic drug that originates from the button-shaped nodules on the stem of the peyote cactus.

• The peyote cactus can be found along the Southwestern U.S. and Northern South America.

• Mescaline is a norepinephrine-related drug.

History and Research

• Louis Lewin

• First systematic experiments on peyote (1886) Anhalonium lewinii

• Dr. Weir Mitchell

• Self experiments (1891)

• Havelock Ellis

• Mescal: An Artificial Paradise (1898)

• Aldous Huxley

• The Doors of Perception (1954) Account of mescaline experience

• Heinrich Kluver

• Perception, illusion, hallucination, color blindness and psychogenesis of meaning (1950’s)

How does Mescaline work in the brain?

• Interacts with the serotonin-2A receptors and affects the brain similarly to other hallucinogenic drugs.

• Mescaline molecules resemble the chemical structure of norepinephrine, therefore mimicking its effects.

• Noradrenaline- Sympathetic Nervous System

• Heart and blood vessels (medulla)

• sweat glands

• large internal organs

• Has a stimulating effect; fosters alertness

• Long-term memory and learning

Acute effects

• Increased Heart Rate

• High Blood Pressure

• Nausea and Vomiting (Unpleasant taste) and Loss of appetite

• Headache and Dizziness

• Sweating

• Involuntary and uncoordinated muscle movements

• Hallucinations

• Hypertension

Chronic effects

• Not enough research has been conducted to determine significant, long-term effects of mescaline abuse.

• Tolerance and dependence (In rare cases)

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Restlessness

• Residual flashbacks

• Mood fluctuation and hormone imbalance

Mescaline in Society

• In the U.S. Legal Federal study, mescaline is a regulated, Schedule 1 hallucinogen.

• It is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, or distribute mescaline without a DEA license.

• The laws surrounding it are abstract due to leniency in regards to the Native American church, who use peyote for spiritual ceremonies.

• Same fines and punishment for other schedule 1 drugs, including imprisonment.

• Many Americans have tried or use peyote illicitly to experience the psychoactive effects.

• These users prefer peyote and mushrooms over LSD because of the similar, but less intense effects.

The Native American Church

Peyote is used for sacrament within the Native American Church. Hallucinogens are known for their psychoactive effects, which are interpreted as states of perception and introspection. For members of the NAC, peyote “opens the portal of reality” to fully understand your inner being and come to a state of balance.

• American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994

Illicit use of Peyote

• Many non-native individuals abuse mescaline for the psychedelic experience.

• The National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research studies:

• Do American Indian teenagers, who are already predisposed to addiction, use peyote illicitly?

• 11.2% reported non-ceremonial use of mescaline.

• The results did not match the hypothesis, which inferred that these teens would be more likely to abuse peyote with patterns of other drug use.

• American Indian teenagers likely hold a higher regard for the cultural practices involving peyote.

Other forms/Similar substances

Synthesized Mescaline (alkaloid) San Pedro Cactus

Mescaline Exposure

• The University of California San Diego toxicology and emergency medicine divisions conducted a retrospective study to determine the frequency of mescaline exposure in the state.

• 1997-2008 reported 31 mescaline exposures.

• Intentionally taken (97%)

• Adolescent and young-adult males (84%)

• Orally ingested (97%)

• One individual in the study inhaled mescaline powder.

• Very mild symptoms

• Many illicit polydrug users seek out mescaline because of its natural source, but it is not as common as many other drugs due to the decline in conservation.

Psychedelic Properties

Hallucinogens produce incredible distortions in typical perception including:

• Altered self-perception or state of being

• Irrational or contradictory emotions and impulses

• Visual hallucinations

• Enhanced colors

• Morphing shapes and forms

• Melting or disintegration

• Auditory

• Music ignites animated senses and emotions.

Peyote Cactus Conservation

Recently, levels of mescaline concentration in peyote cacti has been diminishing. The existence of the peyote plant has been diluted due to habitat destruction and over-harvesting. Over-harvesting results in smaller, less effective crowns, which leads to increased quantity demand. This cycle threatens peyote into extinction.

Buttons

MescPeyote

Cactus

Chief

Conclusion & Summary

• Mescaline is a hallucinogenic drug that is extracted from the Peyote cactus.

• Though peyote use is allowed among the Native American Church for religious freedom, Mescaline is still a Schedule 1 substance in the United States and is illegal to use, possess and distribute.

• Mescaline is similar to other hallucinogens such as LSD and Mushrooms, but also acts on norepinephrine, which activates the sympathetic nervous system.

• No recorded studies have implicated significant, long-term health risks associated with occasional use of mescaline.