Legal intoxicants

Legal intoxicants are intoxicating drugs which are not prohibited by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and which people who are seeking intoxication by legal methods use. The most commonly used legal intoxicant is alcohol but many others are used including native intoxicating plants historically used by indigenous cultures and modern chemical intoxicating substances that have not been defined as illegal.

Additional recommended knowledge

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Recognize and detect the effects of electrostatic charges on your balance

Don't let static charges disrupt your weighing accuracy

Stimulants

Caffeine

Main article: Caffeine

Nicotine

Main article: Nicotine

Hallucinogens

Salvia Divinorum

Main article: Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum is a powerful psychoactive plant^[1] that has long been used as an entheogen by the indigenous Mazatec shamans for healing during spirit journeys. The plant is found in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Hawaiian Baby Woodrose

Main article: Hawaiian baby woodrose

Hawaiian Baby Woodrose (Argyreia nervosa) is a perennial climbing vine, also known as Elephant Creeper and Woolly Morning Glory. The seeds of the plant contain the alkaloid LSA (ergine), which is a chemical analog of LSD. As such, they are sometimes used as a "legal" psychedelic. However, as LSA is a DEA Schedule III substance, the ingestion of LSA-containing plants could be prosecutable.

San Pedro cactus

Main article: San Pedro cactus

San Pedro cactus contains mescaline which is illegal isolated and in the more famous peyote cactus which can only be used by native American and other tribes that use it. San Pedro can be bought and sold and the tissues can also be bought (primary container) from online shops. In many countries, however, it is a serious crime to buy, sell or consume the cactus for reasons of intoxication (any other reason besides ornamental use), because the active ingredient in the cactus, mescaline, is a scheduled substance in those countries, regardless of its small relative harm compared to other drugs.

Ololiúqui

Main article: Rivea corymbosa

Rivea corymbosa, called ololiúqui by the Aztecs, is a species of morning glory plants, native throughout Latin America. The seeds are used as a hallucinogen.

Tlitliltzin

Main article: Ipomoea tricolor

Another morning glory, Ipomoea tricolor (called tlitliltzin by the Aztecs and often sold as "Heavenly Blue Morning Glory"), has similar effects as ololiúqui.

Nutmeg

Main article: Nutmeg

Nutmeg contains Myristicin and Elemicin which are both psychoactive chemicals.^[2]

Sinicuichi

Main article: Sinicuichi

Sinicuichi, a shrub in the genus Heimia, is rare among hallucinogens in that it has been reported to cause auditory hallucinations as well as mild visuals.^{[citation needed]}

Ergot

Main article: Ergot

Ergots are parasitic fungi of the genus Claviceps that infect grains and grasses. Ergots produce hallucinogenic substances, but also alkaloids that have negative effects on the circulatory and nervous systems.

Toad

Main article: Psychoactive toad

The skin and venom of some toads (namely of the genus Bufo and family Bufonidae) contain psychoactive ingredients, 5-meo-dmt and/or bufotenin, which are consumed once extracted from the toad.^[3]

2CE & 2C-I

Main article: 2C-E

Main article: 2C-I

DXM

Main article: Dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan is an antitussive (cough-suppressant) drug found in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. When taken at doses higher than are medically recommended, dextromethorphan is classified as a dissociative hallucinogenic drug. It can produce effects similar to those of the controlled substances PCP and ketamine.

Deliriants

  The deliriants (or anticholinergics) are a special class of dissociative which are antagonists for the acetylcholine.

Datura

Datura species (especially Datura stramonium and Datura wrightii) are common poisonous weeds in the Nightshade Family. They contain tropane alkaloids that are sometimes used as a hallucinogen. The active ingredients are atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine which are classified as deliriants, or anticholinergics. Datura is also one of the most deadly and positivly the most powerful deliriants known to man

Kava (Kavalactone)

Main article: Kava

Kava (Piper methysticum) is an ancient crop of the western Pacific. The onset of a moderate potency kava drink is 20-30 minutes, with effects usually lasting for two hours but effects can be felt up to eight hours after ingestion.^{[citation needed]}

Depressants

Alcohol

Main article: alcoholic beverage

Alcoholic beverages contain the psychoactive drug, ethanol (grain alcohol), with a depressant effect. They are legal in most of the non-Muslim world, although their use is restricted almost everywhere. Alcohol is considered a legal class A drug in most jurisdictions (Bufton, 2007).

Inhalants

Main article: Inhalant

Inhalants are commonly used in many parts of the world for their powerful but short lived psychoactive effects; the most common group to use inhalants are young people.

Nitrous Oxide

One of the most common inhalants, also know as "whippits", after the common brand-name of the charging cartridges used in food service whipped-cream dispensers. Most inhalants are directly neurotoxic, except for nitrous, amyl nitrate, and ether to an extent. Although nitrous depletes vitamin B-12 from the body, this isn't a concern for the occasional user since most animal foods have the vitamin, particular beef, lamb, and pork (this is an issue for vegetarians and vegans), but abuse can cause a severe B-12 deficiency, which can cause psychological, neurological, and other physiological harm. nitrous oxide is also used in many dental offices to numb the pain in patients afraid of needles

Opioids

Main article: opioid

An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body.

Kratom

Non opiate drug from Thailand used for opiate substitute and used around the world opiate addiction recovery, because it binds to the mu opioid receptors which morphine also does. It is legal everywhere but Thailand, Australia and Myanmar.

References