Peyote in Law and its role in Native American Society
Background
Peyote is a small spineless cactus that eventually produces a hallucinogenic compound called Masculine. Masculine is what makes this plant special and is considered as a plant medicine to natives throughout the U.S and Mexico.
Peyote has been used for thousands of years. Carbon dating has found used peyote that has dated back to 3780 BC. Even though peyote is only native to Mexico and Southwestern Texas, natives apparently traded it across Central America and North America having archeologists reporting samples in areas as east as the Massachusetts regions. The presents of trading peyote as a commodity back then with no roads or uses of transportation, hints at the importance …show more content…
The most common side effect of using peyote is nausea. This is typical of many hallucinogens, especially when new users ingest such drugs. Regular users of peyote report the nauseous feeling disappearing as they consume the drug more frequently. Other negative short-term effects may include weakness, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, faster heart rate and feelings of anxiety or even terror. The worst effects of peyote occur when used in high doses. Consuming an excess of peyote can lead to a state of severe anxiety lasting as long as two days. In other cases, a high dosage of peyote may cause severe physical reaction and require the user to be hospitalized. Typically, these severe health problems occur when somebody takes a high dose of mescaline, the purest and most potent form of …show more content…
Not only can using peyote recreationally Cause symptoms like HPPV but it also has caused the plant to near extinction because of the over harvesting growers and peyote hunters do. Another reason why peyote used recreationally is more linked to HPPV is because dealers in the black market often mix peyote with other hallucinogenic such as LCD, PCP, and psilocybin. Peyote used for religious use combats this problem of drug mixing because The Native American Church (which we will go more in depth about below) by law has to have legally enforced peyote harvesters that are regulated and given a DEA license to sell by the government. Federal law in the U.S prohibits any use of peyote outside of religious ceremonies, but that does not prevent thousands of Americans from using peyote for personal recreation. Some recreational users enjoy consuming peyote at parties, while others prefer using it in the privacy of their own
Background
Peyote is a small spineless cactus that eventually produces a hallucinogenic compound called Masculine. Masculine is what makes this plant special and is considered as a plant medicine to natives throughout the U.S and Mexico.
Peyote has been used for thousands of years. Carbon dating has found used peyote that has dated back to 3780 BC. Even though peyote is only native to Mexico and Southwestern Texas, natives apparently traded it across Central America and North America having archeologists reporting samples in areas as east as the Massachusetts regions. The presents of trading peyote as a commodity back then with no roads or uses of transportation, hints at the importance …show more content…
The most common side effect of using peyote is nausea. This is typical of many hallucinogens, especially when new users ingest such drugs. Regular users of peyote report the nauseous feeling disappearing as they consume the drug more frequently. Other negative short-term effects may include weakness, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, faster heart rate and feelings of anxiety or even terror. The worst effects of peyote occur when used in high doses. Consuming an excess of peyote can lead to a state of severe anxiety lasting as long as two days. In other cases, a high dosage of peyote may cause severe physical reaction and require the user to be hospitalized. Typically, these severe health problems occur when somebody takes a high dose of mescaline, the purest and most potent form of …show more content…
Not only can using peyote recreationally Cause symptoms like HPPV but it also has caused the plant to near extinction because of the over harvesting growers and peyote hunters do. Another reason why peyote used recreationally is more linked to HPPV is because dealers in the black market often mix peyote with other hallucinogenic such as LCD, PCP, and psilocybin. Peyote used for religious use combats this problem of drug mixing because The Native American Church (which we will go more in depth about below) by law has to have legally enforced peyote harvesters that are regulated and given a DEA license to sell by the government. Federal law in the U.S prohibits any use of peyote outside of religious ceremonies, but that does not prevent thousands of Americans from using peyote for personal recreation. Some recreational users enjoy consuming peyote at parties, while others prefer using it in the privacy of their own