Psychedelic Awareness

June 7, 2015 – Culture

It’s no secret that psychedelics are being experimented with amongst young people – even in Ireland where they remain completely illegal. They may be slightly more difficult to get here than in mainland countries, but lets not forget that Ireland naturally produces one of the most potent “magic mushrooms” in the world. Liberty caps grow throughout pastures in Ireland over the course of a few weeks in Autumn, just before winter’s first frost. With new online dark net sites such as Agora and Nucleus, psychedelics have never been easier to obtain.

The definition of a psychedelic is a “psychoactive drug that alters cognition and perception.” Psychedelics tend to affect the mind in ways that result in the experience being qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness.

The best known psychedelics are psilocybin (found naturally in magic mushrooms), DMT (found naturally in ayahuasca), mescaline (found naturally in peyote and San Pedro cacti), LSD and 2C-B (both of which are chemically produced using naturally occurring psychoactive chemicals). MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy pills, is also classed as a psychedelic.

The history of psychedelics is incredibly interesting. Readers are encouraged to research figures such as Albert Hoffman, Stanislav Grof, Alexander Shulgin, Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary.

However, this article aims not to educate the reader on the history of psychedelics. The aim here is to encourage people to be respectful and responsible if they make the personal choice to experiment with these substances.

Older generations may have the attitude of “I don’t know about it, therefore it does not concern me”. This attitude is difficult to change – People choose to be ignorant. However, ignorance can be dangerous when there is a lack of drug education amongst young people. Adolescents are taught about the safe use of alcohol in school and by their family, they are warned about the dangers of smoking cigarettes, however the topic of psychedelics is commonly ignored.

Due to psychedelic substances being completely illegal, therefore unregulated, it is very difficult to know what you are taking. This goes for all drugs, including cocaine, GHB, speed and ketamine. It also makes it difficult to know what dosage you should take. Although psychedelics are typically very safe drugs, it can be psychologically distressing or damaging to take too much. Due to these drugs being illegal, there is a huge lack of understanding surrounding the drugs, what effect they have and how they should be treated.

So, if you’re going to make the choice to take psychedelics, whether indoors or at a festival, please consider the following points:

Set and Setting.

The most basic and important aspects to consider are set and setting. ‘Set’ refers to your state of mind. You should not have any worries or fears going in to a psychedelic trip. Have a free conscience and don’t have anything important to do for the next 24 hours. ‘Setting’ refers to your environment. Be in a safe and comfortable place in which you feel at ease, with suitable music and lighting. Avoid nightclubs or busy places.

Know what you are taking

All too often, people consume substances that they get from an unknown source. This means they do not know what the chemical actually is or what strength it is. Unfortunately there are no drug testing facilities in Ireland, but websites such as pillreports gives up to date information about what is on the market and what is safe. Online markets such as Agora and Nucleus show a range of drugs, giving their contents, strengths and reliability. Please note that both legal and illegal products are available for purchase on Agora and Nucleus. If you choose to use this site to purchase illegal products, it’s at your own risk.

Safety tips:

LSD tabs should have no taste whatsoever- If it has a metalic taste, it is most likely 25I – NBOMe, which can be extremely dangerous to consume.

MDMA should come in a brown crystal form. It can also be made as a white colour, but if you have white crystals, beware, because it may contain PMA. PMA is a lethal drug that causes many young deaths. Remember, MDMA is generally not a dangerous substance, but PMA is often sold as MDMA and this is why there are so many deaths blamed on ecstasy. Some ecstasy pills can have a mix of MDMA and PMA which can be extremely dangerous, so look up the pills and know what is in them.

Avoid drinking alcohol when taking MDMA, as there is a dangerously high risk of dehydration.

Know how much you are taking

It is essential to recognise that most psychedelics have non linear response curves. If you increase the dose by 10% it may not get 10% more intense, it has the potential to get 50% – 100% intense.

If you buy a tab of acid from someone who does not know the strenght, please treat with caution. A tab can range from 80ug, which is a light dose, to 300ug which is an extremely high dose. You should take half of the tab and wait at least 3 hours before taking the other half to gauge the strength.

Natural magic mushrooms are difficult to dose due to the unknown chemical content. There are various types of mushrooms too, for example cubensis and liberty caps. Generally the rule is 2-3g dried mushrooms per dose.

2cb powder requires an extremely low dosage of 16-18mg, whereas an average MDMA dosage would be approx 100mg. It is impossible to weight such small doses by eye, so ensure to use a milligram scales to measure the contents. 2cb in particular has a very non linear response curve, so beware of taking even slightly higher doses.

Be Prepared

Have everything you need in an easily accessible place. If you are outdoors or at a festival, pack a day bag before you take any psychedelics. Pack everything you may need, for example a bottle of water, lip balm, sunglasses, warm clothes and food (Remember, you get hungry on psychedelics, unlike most other drugs). Having these essentials prepacked will be a life saver when you are mid-trip.

Be with people you are comfortable around and trust

Being with close friends is very important when on a psychedelic trip. Being with someone who has experience with psychedelics is even better. They can make you feel comfortable if you are a little overwhelmed and can talk you out of any anxiety or worry.

Have a trip sitter

It is a good idea to have one person in the group who is not on psychedelics. The trip sitter can keep an eye on everyone and deal with challenging situations like filling a glass of water or making some food for the hungry trippers. They also come in handy if a phone call needs to be made or if someone calls to the door unexpectedly.

Anyone attending festivals in Ireland are more than likely to come across a person on some sort of psychedelic. It is also important to know how to act around a person on psychedelic, even if you are not experiencing what they are experiencing.

Be relaxed

People can become quite overwhelmed and worried if they are having a difficult psychedelic experience, however it is important to remember to remain calm. A lot of the time the person simply needs to wait the experience out. Act and speak calmly, talk them out of their worried state as best you can. Usually calming physical contact is all that is needed, so give lots of hugs and smiles!

Avoid medical tents unless fear of real physical danger.

As mentioned before, pure psychedelics are not toxic to the body and generally only affect the mind. A lot of the time people need non medical support. Therefore, medical tents or security areas are one of the worst places to be at festivals or parties. Bringing a person to a calm area with relaxed music is the best way for them to relax. However, if you are in real doubt about the purity of the chemical you consumed, seek medical attention.

IMPORTANT: Recognise that people are in a very sensitive state when on psychedelics. Psychedelics are not necessarily party drugs, they are an intense emotional and psychological experience that lasts up to 12 hours. You should be prepared for that going in to the experience.

For more drug information, follow the links below and please spread the word for safe and responsible use of psychedelics.

• https://www.erowid.org/
• https://dancesafe.org/
• http://www.maps.org/
• http://reset.me/
• http://ssdp.org/

*PLEASE NOTE: The Psychedelic Society of Ireland do not wish to encourage drug experimentation. We simply refuse to ignore the fact that it is occurring regardless of the law. We wish to educate.