We’ve reported a number of times already but it is worth repeating until people get the message…otherwise, it’s another species we’ve managed to wipe out for nothing other than our own self-interest. I’d suggest we aren’t gaining much self knowledge if we make these creatures extinct.
Benzinga
You can add the Sonoran Desert Toad to the current escalating body count of threatened species worldwide, as the amphibious creature’s psychoactive secretions continue to gain popularity with psychedelic enthusiasts.
Increased interest in Bufo alvarius toad venom — derived from the animal’s defense secretions and containing the psychoactive compound 5-MeO-DMT — is seeing toad populations routinely harassed and their numbers steadily bulldozed. The expanding practice of extracting their venom for the prized, mind-altering toxin has had the effect of creating a cottage industry over the past decade, which has translated into many thousands of toads at a time being captured and milked of their venom.
The growing demand for toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT is a result of mounting consumer interest in the compound for its unique psychoactive effects, said to be among the most powerful psychoactive substances on the planet. Users in the U.S. (where it is a controlled substance) and Canada and Mexico (where it is not a controlled substance) find that the dried and vaporized toxin holds extraordinary therapeutic qualities. Touted for its fast onset of just a few seconds and its short-duration, sometimes lasting as little as several minutes, 5-MeO-DMT can catapult users into a state of oceanic bliss and a feeling of unity with all living things. People commonly report positive, expansive experiences that alleviate the baggage of past emotional traumas. At least one European study conducted in 2019 showed a diminishing of depression and anxiety after just one session.
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