Hallucinogen

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Term Paper Title	Hallucinogen
# of Words	888
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.55

Hallucinogen

Hallucinogen

   While many drugs speed up or depress the central nervous system, there is a
class of drugs that distorts how we feel, hear, see, smell, taste, and think.
Called hallucinogens because users often hallucinate, or experience nonexistent
sensations, these drugs are also known as psychedelic, or mind-bending, drugs.
Some hallucinogens come from natural sources; others are made in laboratories.
Examples of natural hallucinogens are mescaline, psilocybin, DMT, and marijuana.
   Mescaline, which has been used by American Indians in religious ceremonies,
comes from the peyote cactus. Psilocybin, also used by the Indians and believed
to have supernatural powers, is found in about 20 varieties of mushrooms. Once
ingested, psilocybin is converted to psilocin, which is responsible for the
drug's hallucinogenic sensations. DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is a short-acting
hallucinogen found in the seeds of certain West Indian and South American plants.
In the form of snuff, called cohoba, it has been used in religious ceremonies in
Haiti. Marijuana is a plant belonging to the hemp family . The active principle
responsible for the drug's effects is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), obtained from
the amber-colored resin of the flowering tops and leaves of the plant. Hashish
is also made from this resin.
   Of all drugs, synthetic and natural, the most powerful is LSD, or lysergic
acid diethylamide. Twenty micrograms, an almost infinitesimal amount, is
sufficient to produce a hallucinogenic effect; just 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms)
could induce a reaction in all the inhabitants of New York City and London. This
extraordinary potency makes LSD especially dangerous since it is usually
impossible to determine how much is contained in doses offered by drug dealers.
   LSD is chemically derived from ergot, a parasitic fungus that grows on rye
and other grains. An odorless, colorless, and tasteless substance, LSD is sold
on the street in tablets, capsules, and sometimes liquid form. It is usually
taken by mouth but can be injected. Often LSD is placed on a blotter or other
absorbent paper and marked into small squares, each representing one dose.
   Synthetic hallucinogens with effects resembling those of LSD include DET
(diethyltryptamine), a synthetic compound similar to DMT, and DOM (2,5-
dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine), a compound that combines some of the properties
of mescaline and amphetamines, as do the drugs MDA (3,4-
methylenedioxyamphetamine) and MMDA (3...

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