I have never Ecstasy or anything stronger than marijuana, which I have not smoked since July 1994 (ten years in Marines and random drug tests deterred me, current drug policy at work now still stop me!).
I hear nothing but good things (except what government funded research say) about X and would LOVE to try it, but the drug thing stops me. The idea of feeling the way I hear people say you feel when on it definitely interests me.
So, are there are any legal herbs/medicines/tonics/potions/so-on-and-so-on that I could take that would give me a ‘like’ feeling? I remember reading an advertisement in a magazine about legal LSD or something like that, but I rarely believe advertisements for herbs, etc. So here I am asking my educated and experienced dopers. Anything?
(note that Cecil says “Judging from available evidence, the stuff might do nothing, give you a buzz, or kill you.” I think this is probably true for most legal substances that will make you high - like huffing or whippits)
“It feels so good, it must be wrong”. There has to be something out there that is not illegal. Has anyone ever tried one of the pills advertised that are supposed to give ‘acid like effects’?
I would think there is something out there that would give some sort of the fun effects of X. With all the resources of some of the companies out there, the potential profit, and the potential clientele base, it would make sense (IMO).
I really know very little about ecstacy, but when I looked up MDMA and did some reading, it appears that it was legal until 1985, and it was made illegal basically because of “lack of medical uses and high potential for abuse.” It seems to me that any MDMA clone would suffer from the same two problems and would swiftly be made illegal even if there were no side effects.
So I wouldn’t count on a legal X clone any time soon.
The question is, what counts as “abuse” or “side effects”?
A year or two ago, I saw a documentary on MDMA/Ecstasy (Frontline on PBS, I think) and was stunned to learn that the only reason that it was made illegal was that it makes people feel good, and a lot of people (in Houston, IIRC) were taking it for that reason alone. Not because, as in the case of narcotics and some other illegal drugs, its so-called “abuse” poses health risks. The few, but highly publicized, deaths of ecstasy users (which only arose after it was made illegal) were caused not by the drug directly, but because the victim was partying hard, failed to drink enough water, and collapsed from heat exhaustion.
I realize I’m dancing on the edge of what’s appropriate in GQ, but I find it rather appalling that the government rushed in to make something illegal just because it made people feel good.
But like the OP, I’d love to try some X some time. But I’m 50 years old, and AFAIK don’t know anyone who could get me some. And I’m chicken about breaking the law, too.
A freind of mine was the head for a research study on the use of x. I didn’t manage to get many details out of him. The study involved giving people x and monitoring the long term effects. His suggestion was it is a good drug to stay away from.
If you’re in Canada, where there is no (or a sufficiently different) Analogue Act, try 2c-i. Some describe it as similar to a candyflip (LSD + MDMA), so it’s not quite the same as rolling, but it’s at least legal (in Canada).
In 2004 the US government shut down the big American research chemical distributors, but that hasn’t stopped intrepid American psychonauts from importing them. The government seems to be more focused on shutting down distributors than going after individual users, so package seizure seems to be the extent of punishment. It is illegal, though, so I can’t recommend trying to import it if you live in the US.
Also, since you mention trips, there are a couple of legal hallucinogens in the US, but they’re generally not as … recreational as illegal ones.
The two that I am aware of that are legal even when intended for consumption are toadstool/fly agaric and salvia divinorum. I don’t know much about toadstool, but from what I’ve read it’s not a very pleasant trip and involves some nausea or other unpleasantness.
Then there’s salvia. I hesitate to even bring it up in this context. It’s illegal in some states, so check local laws. Regardless of its legality, keep this in mind if you consider trying salvia: IT IS NOT A FUN HAPPY PARTY DRUG. IT IS NOT A TOY. USE WITH CAUTION. Seriously. It’s legal, and its effects only last about 30 minutes, but it is easily one of the most potent hallucinogens available, legal or otherwise. A strong salvia trip is kind of like what a drug trip looks like in movies. Except not funny. That said, your mileage may vary. Some people have a blast with it.
If you're in Canada, where there is no (or a sufficiently different) Analogue Act, try 2c-i. Some describe it as similar to a candyflip (LSD + MDMA), so it's not quite the same as rolling, but it's at least legal (in Canada).
Thank you very much, I do not live in Canada but am now in research mode (not admitting to taking or doing anything illegal).
There are other legal highs, but most of them come with either dangers or are hard to find. The two easiest and most available are probably nutmeg (you need to eat quite a bit of fresh nutmeg powder, it lasts around 18 hours, and it may be an unpleasant trip) and datura, or jimson weed, which I do NOT recommend without a trained shaman present. Datura also depresses breathing and heart rate and is frightfully easy to accidentally overdose on, even by touch alone.
Morning glory seeds are still legal, I believe. I don’t know anyone who’s used them, though, so I can’t tell you much about that.
I am not asking for advice on something illegal, but with the whole mail-order/Canadian drug businesses out there, is it possible to get this shipped to the US?
Really? My experience with that stuff has been that it is seriously weak. Perhaps I just had some lousy stuff, but the people I know who are regular users say that it was fine. Maybe I am just not terribly affected by it, but the only thing I really noticed was sweating like crazy.