Hallucinogens (drugs: The Straight Facts)

DRUGS The Straight Facts Hallucinogens DRUGS The Straight Facts Alcohol Antidepressants Body Enhancement Products Cocaine Date Rape Drugs Designer Drugs Diet Pills Ecstasy Hallucinogens Heroin Inhalants Marijuana Nicotine Prescription Pain Relievers Ritalin and Other Methylphenidate-Containing Drugs Sleep Aids DRUGS The Straight Facts Hallucinogens Randi Mehling Consulting Editor David J. Triggle University Professor School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences State University of New York at Buffalo Hallucinogens Copyright © 2003 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mehling, Randi. Hallucinogens / Randi Mehling. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-7910-7261-4 1. Hallucinogenic drugs—Juvenile literature. I. Title. RM324.8 .M447 2003 615'.7883—dc21 2002153504 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Text and cover design by Terry Mallon Printed in the United States of America Lake 21C 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Table of Contents The Use and Abuse of Drugs David J. Triggle 6 1. The History of Hallucinogens 8 2. The Psychedelic Effects of Hallucinogens 20 3. The Properties of Hallucinogens 36 4. The Health Effects of Hallucinogens 50 5. Teenage Trends and Attitudes 62 6. Hallucinogen Dependency 82 7. Hallucinogens and the Law 96 Bibliography 112 Further Reading 116 Index 119 The Use and Abuse of Drugs The issues associated with drug use and abuse in contemporary society are vexing subjects, fraught with political agendas and ideals that often obscure essential information that teens need to know to have intelligent discussions about how to best deal with the problems associated with drug use and abuse. Drugs: The Straight Facts aims to provide this essential information through straightforward explanations of how an individual drug or group of drugs works in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic conditions; with historical information about the use and abuse of specific drugs; with discussion of drug policies in the United States; and with an ample list of further reading. From the start, the series uses the word “drug” to describe psychoactive substances that are used for medicinal or nonmedicinal purposes. Included in this broad category are substances that are legal or illegal. It is worth noting that humans have used many of these substances for hundreds, if not thousands of years. For example, traces of marijuana and cocaine have been found in Egyptian mummies; the use of peyote and Amanita fungi has long been a component of religious ceremonies worldwide; and alcohol production and consumption have been an integral part of many human cultures’ social and religious ceremonies. One can speculate about why early human societies chose to use such drugs. Perhaps, anything that could provide relief from the harshness of life—anything that could make the poor conditions and fatigue associated with hard work easier to bear—was considered a welcome tonic. Life was likely to be, accordi