Classification: Psychedelic hallucinogen
Common Names/Nicknames: Peyote, buttons, cactus, mescaline, mesc
Active Compound: Mescaline
Found in: Peyote cactus, San Pedro cactus, Peruvian torch cactus, other mescaline-containing cacti, Fabaceae beans, synthetic mescaline
Mode of Consumption: Ingestion
DEA Scheduling/Legal Status (in US): Schedule I, illegal in all states. Exception: Legal in religious ceremonies registered by the Native American Church
Effects:
Hallucinations, euphoria, slowed passage of time, anesthesia, synesthesia, pupil dilation, increased body temperature, increased heart rate, weakness, tremors, nausea, anxiety
Risks:
Acute: “Bad trip,” tolerance, accidental injury, psychosis, amnesia, homicidal and suicidal attempts, convulsions
Chronic: Posthallucinogen perceptual disorder (PHPD, aka “flashbacks”). Some evidence for triggering longer-term psychosis
Dangerous Drug Combinations:
Possibly dangerous combination with antidepressants, ecstasy, and other drugs that affect serotonin levels.
Special Considerations:
Mescaline has relatively low risk of harm and is seen as non-addictive.
And remember, if somebody may need help, play it safe and call for medical assistance.
“Students may bring an intoxicated or drug-impaired friend to University Health Services or to a hospital, or seek assistance from College residential life staff or HUPD, and by doing this, neither they nor the friend will face disciplinary action from the College for having used or provided alcohol or drugs.”
The Amnesty Policy
Harvard College Student Handbook
Sources:
Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Third Edition), by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Published 2008 by W. W. Norton & Company.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugPages/
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), part of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Erowid Organization