Rare Drug Profile: Coleus

Scientific Name: Coleus blumei, pumilus

Effects:  Mild hallucinogen (visuals, enhanced dreams, euphoria, sedation)

Description:  Coleus is a brightly colored plant used traditionally by the Mazatec Indians as a substitute for Salvia divinorum. While its active components have not been identified, users report effects ranging from nothing at all to highly visual psychedelia with euphoric overtones. 

Methods of Ingestion:  Between 50 and 70 large leaves.  Can be eaten whole, smoked or brewed into tea.

Safety Precautions:  None known, though nausea may occur at higher doses.   

Sample Trip Report (from Erowid.org):  “At this point I was excited because it was starting to kick in. After the next 10-15 minutes I started to feel extremely happy, and my body was all FUZZY (that’s the only way to describe it). All I could do was smile, and the whole time I felt like laughing, but I couldn’t. I just had that pressure feeling in my throat like when I’m about to laugh. on top of that, EVERYTHING had an aura (a glowing color around the object), and everything had a different one. And to my eyes, my skin looked blue and green around the edges of my limbs.”


Source:


Erowid.org:  Coleus Vault
http://www.erowid.org/plants/coleus/coleus.shtml

Flashback: The First Bicycle Day

Because of its close proximity to 4/20, Bicycle Day tends to get overlooked by many in the counterculture community.  Not this year! 

In this excerpt from LSD: My Problem Child, scientist Albert Hofmann describes the moment he discovered the psychoactive effects of LSD, which also marked the first recorded acid trip in human history: 

"Last Friday, April 16,1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away...

By now it was already clear to me that LSD had been the cause of the remarkable experience of the previous Friday, for the altered perceptions were of the same type as before, only much more intense. I had to struggle to speak intelligibly. I asked my laboratory assistant, who was informed of the self-experiment, to escort me home. We went by bicycle, no automobile being available because of wartime restrictions on their use. On the way home, my condition began to assume threatening forms. Everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror. I also had the sensation of being unable to move from the spot. Nevertheless, my assistant later told me that we had traveled very rapidly. Finally, we arrived at home safe and sound, and I was just barely capable of asking my companion to summon our family doctor and request milk from the neighbors.

In spite of my delirious, bewildered condition, I had brief periods of clear and effective thinking—and chose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning."

Source:  Hallucinogens.com
http://www.hallucinogens.com/hofmann/child1.htm

Dope Jams: "Easy Skanking"

Easy Skanking by Bob Marley.  From the 1978 album Kaya.

Opiates Most Widely Prescribed Drugs in U.S.

Sound the alarm; it's a painkiller panic!  In the wake of the South Florida pain clinic scandal comes this timely account published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

From Science Daily:

"Prescriptions for hydrocodone and oxycodone account for 84.9 percent of opioid prescriptions.  Over ten years, there has been a fivefold increase in admissions to substance abuse programs for opioid addiction.  Penn Medicine researchers are already looking into possible solutions to address these issues."

Translation:  Legitimate pain patients can expect a fivefold increase in untreated pain as doctors turn them away for fear of losing their license.  Oh well, there's always heroin. 

Source:

Science Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110405161906.htm

Stoner Events Guide--April 2011

April 2-3: Medical Cannabis Cup--Denver, CO 

http://www.medcancup.com/

April 15-17: Coachella--Indio, CA 

http://www.coachella.com/

April 19: Bicycle Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_LSD#.22Bicycle_Day.22
 

April 20: 4/20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_%28cannabis_culture%29#April_20_observances

April 22: Earth Day

What are the Ingredients in Bath Salt?

Question:


My friend's cousin went raving on Ivory Wave bath salt last weekend and says it feels kind of like ecstasy and brought back a gram for us all to try.  I asked him what it is and he hands me the bag but there's no ingredient list, so I went to there website but it doesn't say either!  Can you tell me more about bath salt ingredients and if it's worth the money?  Thanks!


Anonymous


Answer:


Good question, Anonymous.  Too bad I can't answer it--at least not in the clear-cut way I would like.  Since most brand name "bath salts" don't include an ingredient list on the label,  it's impossible to know what's in them without some sort of testing.  That said, the term "bath salt" is often used to refer to one or more semi-legal synthetic drugs, the most common of which are listed below:


MDPV:
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (say that three times fast) is a potent stimulant that's similar in structure to the illegal drug cathinone.  Active at doses as low as 2-5 mg, MDPV is an overdose nightmare waiting to happen.  Scratch that, a nightmare that already has happened.  Potential side effects include rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, psychosis and appetite loss, with a particular emphasis on psychosis. 

Mephedrone: 
Also known by its hardcore street moniker "meow-meow," mephedrone grew to overnight popularity in the UK before being banned in 2010.  Its effects are best described as 70% cocaine and 30% ecstasy, with energy and euphoria predominating.  This drug has a reputation for compulsive dosing and has been blamed for a few deaths already in the U.S.

AMT, 2C-E, Methoxetamine, etc: 
Because the list of semi-legal synthetic drugs is virtually endless, any drug or combination of drugs could be added to bath salt.  2C-E, methoxetamine, methylone, PCP analogues and DOB are a few of the hundreds of chemicals available to knowledgable chemists and unwitting consumers. 


While these obscure drugs carry many unknown dangers, other circumstances contribute greatly to their overall potential for harm.  Manufacturers and business owners who sell unlabeled bath salt products have as much blood on their hands as chemists who synthesize the stuff.  Meanwhile, reporters waste airtime on sensational stories about "methadrone" and similar poppycock without uttering a word about harm reduction or safer use of bath salts.  


So how can you assess the risks of a drug if you don't know what it is?  The answer is that you can't.  What you can do is stay far away from unlabeled "bath salts" and encourage your friends to do the same.  If you're curious about synthetic drugs, do some independent research first.  If you still insist on trying them after you know the risks, only use substances that are pure, clearly labeled and come from a trusted source.  (Which doesn't include your local Quick-E-Mart cashier).           


Your Friend in Clubbing, Scrubbing and Rub-a-Dub-Dubbing,


Mary Microgram