DMT Today (Part 1)
Coming soon to an ambulance near you: FDA-approved pharmaceutical DMT
See photo credits below.
The following is an excerpt from p. 168-173 of Chapter 3, “Everywhere, All the Time: DMT and Drugism” from my new book, Drugism (2022):
The recent rise in coverage of DMT has brought with it a rise in use of the drug. Statistics show that in the US, the number of people who have used DMT doubles roughly every six years.[i] The 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that well over three million people in the US have used it. Percentage-wise, the figure comes to 1.2% of the population. While this may seem infinitesimal, it means that for every hundred people in the US, at least one has used DMT.
If DMT use continues to grow at the rate is has been, by 2026 more than six million people in the US will have tried it, or just over 2% of the population. In that case, one out of every forty to fifty people in the country will have tried DMT at least once.
In the US, the number of people who have used DMT doubles roughly every six years.
The figures produced by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health refer to illicit use. And indeed, for most people, in most places, DMT, its analogues, and ayahuasca are prohibited. However, a growing number of cities and states have passed legislation which effectively decriminalizes DMT-containing plants or, in one case, DMT itself.
To be clear, the precise legal situation and the extent of decriminalization vary case by case. That said, cities ranging from Washington, DC to Seattle, Washington, including multiple cities in Massachusetts, Michigan, and California have relaxed the legal status of DMT-containing plants.[ii] Additionally, the state of Oregon has decriminalized the possession of DMT (along with all other drugs).[iii] Many similar campaigns are developing in several more cities and states across the US.[iv]
By 2026 more than six million people in the US will have tried it, or just over 2% of the population.
Along with this loosening of restrictions on DMT-containing plants, there has also been a recent surge in scientific research on the drug. In the US, the DEA sets quotas which determine how much of any given Schedule I or Schedule II drug may be produced for research purposes.[v]Interestingly, in 2021, they raised the quota for DMT significantly, from a mere 50 grams to a whopping 3,200 grams. Similar increases were made in the quotas for psilocybin and MDMA.
The drastic quota increase adds weight to the argument (pun intended) that the federal government is, to some extent, supportive of DMT’s rise in popularity. Other factors which support such an argument include the federal approval of DMT research, covert government support for DMT traffickers Gordon Skinner and Leonard Pickard, the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision on UDV, and the lack of federal interference in the recent tide of decriminalization campaigns. If Al Hubbard the MK-ULTRA spook was still around, he would be proud. DMT is finally a million-dollar drug.
Algernon hopes to tap into the rapidly growing stroke and diabetes markets with pharmaceutical DMT.
So, what will all this DEA-approved DMT be used for? Already, a number of studies of the drug are underway. In the summer of 2021, the drug development company MindMed (headquartered in the World Trade Center in New York City) commenced Phase 1 trials in a study of the safety of intravenous DMT.[vi]
Another company, Bexson Biomedical (based in California) is developing a wearable drug delivery system which they plan to use with DMT, among other drugs.[vii] (Bexson’s wearable device was originally announced for use with ketamine).
Scientific research on DMT is also being done in the UK. In partnership with Imperial College of London, a company named Small Pharma is conducting several trials with DMT, in both injectable and oral forms.[viii] Another UK-based pharmaceutical company, Algernon Pharmaceuticals, has announced plans to study “microdose[s] of DMT” via “continuous intravenous administration” to treat the effects of strokes.[ix]
Algernon plans to provide stroke victims with intravenous DMT in their ambulance rides to the hospital.
On Algernon’s website, they have a page which explains their plan to research DMT for strokes. On this page, the company includes some revealing information as to why they have chosen to pursue this model. They cite a 2019 report which found that the “stroke treatment market” is worth around eight billion dollars annually and expected to rise to roughly fifteen billion by 2027. This growth, they explain, is due to a “rise in the prevalence of stroke across the world” as well as related “comorbidities such as atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and hypertension,” all of which lead to heightened risk of stroke.[x]
Put simply, the folks at Algernon saw that, because of the growing rate of stroke, itself exacerbated by growing rates of diabetes and heart disease, the market for drugs which treat stroke symptoms is a rapidly growing one, worth many billions of dollars. By utilizing DMT as a potential treatment, they may be able to tap into this multibillion-dollar market. If all goes according to Algernon’s plan, stroke victims will receive intravenous DMT in their ambulance rides to the hospital, as the company’s CEO, Christopher Moreau, suggested in a 2021 interview.[xi]
Ironically, strokes as well as all the related comorbidities listed on Algernon’s website—atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and hypertension—are all conditions which arise from overconsumption of salt and sugar. Atrial fibrillation and hypertension have both been linked to salt consumption; most cases of diabetes are caused largely by consumption of refined sugars.[xii] But it seems most of us cannot bear to reduce our salt or sugar intake. So, on its way down the drug development pipeline comes DMT. In this sense it could be thought of as a secondary drug to treat the adverse effects of primary drugs—salt and sugar—not unlike insulin or naloxone.
DMT has become a secondary drug to treat the adverse effects of primary drugs—salt and sugar—not unlike insulin or naloxone.
Of course, Algernon’s entire proposition rests on the idea that DMT will be beneficial to stroke victims. In addition to the blatantly financial reasoning explained above, the company’s model has some scientific inspiration too. Their decision to study DMT’s potential utility in stroke treatment was inspired by earlier findings that the drug may promote neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Also notable is a study which found that DMT protects cells from damage as a result of loss of oxygen.[xiii] If this finding is valid, it could further support the notion that DMT may have some protective effect against ischemic stroke.
As I devoured any and all DMT-related content I could find in the course of my research for this book, I came across a firsthand account that, if true, may lend some promise to Algernon’s project. It was posted by someone writing under the name adamsetyler on Reddit in November of 2021. Adamsetyler shared that as an infant, they had a stroke that left them without control of certain muscles in their body. They recently tried DMT and noticed that during the trip, they could temporarily move the muscles they had otherwise lost control of.[xiv]
On the same thread, someone else using the name Tight-Repair-2150 wrote that they had a stroke several years ago which left much of their body numb. After some “hallucinogenic experiments,” however, they “regained feeling” in some of the areas numbed by the stroke.[xv] The experiences shared by adamsetyler and Tight-Repair-2150[1] stand as anecdotal evidence that DMT and/or similar drugs may somehow interact with, and benefit, parts of the brain or body affected by strokes.
Despite the exceptions (clinical studies, ayahuasca churches, and the various places which have decriminalized DMT or the plants which contain it), most people who use DMT today do so illegally. The result is arguably a type of DMT classism. Those with the resources to either 1) obtain FDA and DEA approval for clinical research, 2) fight in court for the right to religious use, or 3) create and pass legislation to decriminalize such substances, have managed to create more-or-less legally sanctioned environments in which people can use DMT, ayahuasca, etc. However, anyone without the resources to pursue the above-mentioned options is still eligible for criminal charges and even incarceration for handling a Schedule I substance.
While no doubt fewer in number than cannabis busts, there has been no shortage of DMT busts in recent years. People get in trouble with the drug all over the US, from coast to coast, and in all types of scenarios. Consider, briefly, the following examples:
In 2010 in Bellevue, Nebraska, a 25-year-old man thought he was going to die after smoking some DMT. He called 911 and was taken to an emergency room. At the hospital, he came down from the DMT—still alive—and was charged with drug possession and ultimately incarcerated.[xvi]
In 2012 in Mountain View, California, police found a DMT lab in an apartment. The police had been tipped off by neighbors who said the apartment emanated the smell of burning plastic and had guests at odd hours. Several arrests were made as a result.[xvii]
In 2014 in San Fernando Valley, California, police found “a naked, screaming man” in an apartment along with several bags of Mimosa bark, chemical solvents, and various equipment used to produce DMT. The apartment emitted fumes which gave the cops who performed the bust headaches. The man was arrested and taken to jail.[xviii]
In 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio, police encountered a group of young people in a public park looking for stones to make jewelry with. After searching them, the cops found a small bag of DMT on one of them, who was then charged with a drug felony. A lab technician involved in drug testing in that jurisdiction noted that DMT arrests in the area had been increasing in recent years.[xix]
In 2016 in Waukegan, Illinois, cops found a DMT lab in an apartment building. The building was evacuated by law enforcement, and two people were arrested and jailed as a result. Their bond was set at two hundred thousand and a quarter of a million dollars, respectively.[xx]
In 2018 in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, a couple was loading their SUV after getting evicted from their apartment. A neighbor thought they were burglars and called the cops. When police appeared, the couple tried to flee, but officers caught them and searched the SUV. In it, they found equipment and materials used to make DMT, which lead law enforcement to suspect that the couple had been producing DMT in the apartment. One of them was jailed and the other, a pregnant woman, was hospitalized. Multiple officers were also hospitalized after exposure to the solvent chemicals made them sick.[xxi]
In these reports we see that for years there have been numerous, small, illegal DMT labs throughout the US. Accordingly, it would seem that much or most of the DMT, at least in this period, came from domestic, underground chemists within the US. Beginning in late 2019, the pace of DMT busts began to pick up. And in 2020, we see the first major report of DMT imported from outside the US. To illustrate:
In November, 2019 in Wake Forest, North Carolina, police raided a house where they found evidence of DMT production. According to law enforcement, DMT was being produced in cartridges for use in vape pens, a trend that has appeared and become increasingly popular in recent years. Two men were arrested and jailed as a result of the raid.[xxii]
The following month, several members of a neo-Nazi terrorist group active on the East Coast began making plans to produce DMT. Evidently, they started the process, but did not get far with it. In January, 2020, they were arrested by the FBI and charged with several other, gun-related crimes.[xxiii]
In April, 2020 in Acworth, Georgia, police found 88 pounds of liquid DMT as well as “root bark” (presumably Mimosa) and other materials used to produce the drug in a storage unit. The person believed to have made the DMT was arrested and held in jail without bond.[xxiv]
In May, 2020 in Moore Township, Pennsylvania, multiple law enforcement agencies performed a “controlled delivery” of a package containing nearly half a pound of DMT from the Netherlands. The recipient of the package, who was 19 years old, was arrested and jailed. Police also seized a small amount of cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms, two laptops, and a phone.[xxv]
After an extended period in which one or maybe two big DMT busts happened each year, above we see four notable busts in six months. But law enforcement was just warming up.
Read Part 2 here.
Before you go, check out my new project, https://illicit.news. We have a Kickstarter campaign this month with several rewards for donation.
Footnote
[1] Presuming that adamsetyler and Tight-Repair-2150 are real people and their experiences genuine.
Endnotes
[i] St John, 2; United States Department of Health and Human Services, “2020 National Survey...”
[ii] Walker-Journey, “A Third Massachusetts City…”; Prieb, “Seattle City Council…”
[iii] Kim, “Oregon becomes the…”
[iv] Sakellardis and Adams, “Psychedelic Decriminalization Initiatives…”; Newcomb, “Statewide Psychedelic Decriminalization…”
[v] Jarvie, “DEA Quadruples Psilocybin…”
[vi] “MindMed Announces Initiation...”
[vii] Dinneen, “Californian scientists develop…”
[viii] “Research & Trials.”
[ix] “DMT-Stroke Program.”
[x] Ibid.
[xi] Hockaday, “Stroke victims to…”
[xii] Le Net, “Atrial fibrillation: the…”
[xiii] Ermakova and Stone, “Spirited display: the…”
[xiv] “DMT activated my...”
[xv] Ibid.
[xvi] “Bellevue Man Nearly…”
[xvii] “Mountain View police…”
[xviii] Lloyd and Guinyard, “DMT Drug Lab…”
[xix] “DMT Arrest.”
[xx] “Waukegan Police Discover…”; Abderholden, “Two suspects charged…”
[xxi] Johnson, “Utah police called…”
[xxii] “Major drug lab…”
[xxiii] Lamoureux and Makuch, “Arrested Neo-Nazis…”
[xxiv] Abusaid, “Man charged after…”
[xxv] Rhodin, “Local man arrested…”
Sources
Abusaid, Shaddi. “Man charged after 88 pounds of psychedelics found in Acworth storage unit.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Apr 24, 2020.
“Bellevue Man Nearly Dies After Taking DMT.” KETV NewsWatch 7, Feb 4, 2010.
Dinneen, Kevin. “Californian scientists develop ‘wearable psychedelics.’ Leafie, Aug 19, 2021.
“DMT activated my stroke effected side! Anyone Ave any thoughts?” Reddit, Nov 16, 2021. https://www.reddit.com/r/Psychedelics/comments/quvvxv/dmt_activated_my_stroke_effected_side_anyone_ave/
“DMT Arrest.” News 5 Cleveland, Mar 27, 2015. Online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LpKw0ULc8w
“DMT-Stroke Program.” Algernon Pharmaceuticals. https://algernonpharmaceuticals.com/dmt-stroke-program/
Ermakova, Anna and Rosalind Stone. “Spirited display: the first study to show that DMT protects brain and immune cells under stress.” Beckley Foundation, Sep 15, 2016.
Hockaday, James. “Stroke victims to be given psychedelic drug DMT in groundbreaking study.” Metro, Feb 4, 2021.
Jarvie, Emily. “DEA Quadruples Psilocybin Manufacturing for Research in Final 2021 Production Quotas.” Psychedelic Spotlight, Nov 15, 2021.
Johnson, Brittany. “Utah police called out to burglary; discover DMT drug lab instead.” KRON4, Sep 13, 2018.
Kim, Allen. “Oregon becomes the first state to decriminalize small amounts of heroin and other street drugs.” CNN, Nov 9, 2020.
Lamoureux, Mack and Ben Makuch. “Arrested Neo-Nazis Built a Weapon, Were Making DMT: Court Docs.” Vice, Jan 16, 2020.
Le Net, Solen. “Atrial fibrillation: the everyday food item ‘significantly’ increasing your risk.” Express, Nov 16, 2021.
Lloyd, Jonathan and Toni Guinyard. “DMT Drug Lab Fund in Apartment After Officers Encounter Screaming, Naked Man.” NBC Los Angeles, Jun 23, 2014.
“Major drug lab busted in Wake Forest home.” WRAL, Nov 5, 2019.
“MindMed Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Intravenous DMT.” MindMed. https://mindmed.co/news/press-release/mindmed-announces-initiation-of-phase-1-clinical-trial-of-intravenous-dmt/
“Mountain View police bust up DMT drug lab.” ABC7, Nov 10, 2012.
Newcomb, Lisa. “Statewide Psychedelic Decriminalization Efforts Are Growing Across the Nation.” Lucid News, Oct 30, 2021.
Prieb, Natalie. “Seattle City Council votes to decriminalize psychedelics.” The Hill, Oct 6, 2021.
“Research & Trials.” Small Pharma. https://smallpharma.com/research-and-trials/
Rhodin, Tony. “Local man arrested after hallucinogen sent through mail is intercepted by authorities, police say.” Lehigh Valley Live, May 20, 2020.
Sakellaridis, Faye and Nicki Adams. “Psychedelic Decriminalization Initiatives Are In Motion Across the Country.” Lucid News, Mar 18, 2021.
St John, Graham. Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Evolver Editions, Berkeley, CA. 2015.
United States Department of Health and Human Services. “2020 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSUD) Releases.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2020-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases
Walker-Journey, Jennifer. “A Third Massachusetts City Just Decriminalized Psychedelics.” Psychedelic Spotlight, Apr 5, 2021.
“Waukegan Police Discover Rare DMT Drug Lab in Apartment Building.” CBS Chicago, Aug 25, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f1A_0jI3cY
Photo credits
FDA seal from Barnwell at https://www.barnwell.co.uk/products/fda-seals/
DMT root bark [presumably Mimosa hostilis] seizure from US Customs and Border Protection at: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/memphis-seizes-nearly-18-kilos-psychedelic-drug-dmt-wood-bark
DEA seal from Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Enforcement_Administration
Photo of pile of cash from CNN at: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/28/health/money-happiness-wellness/index.html
Photo of DMT crystals from @DMTryptaminesX on Twitter at:
https://mobile.twitter.com/DMTryptaminesX/status/1465032739451715590/photo/4
Picture of ambulance from United Ambulance Service at: https://www.unitedambulance.com
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