5-MeO-DMT was first synthesized in 1936, and in 1959 it was isolated as one of the psychoactive ingredients of Anadenanthera peregrinaseeds used in preparing Yopo snuff. It was once believed to be a major component of the psychoactive effects of the snuff, although this has recently been shown to be unlikely, due to the limited—sometimes nonexistent—quantity contained within the seeds of this plant, which instead achieve their psychoactivity due to the bufotenin that they contain.[2] It occurs in many organisms that contain bufotenin (5-HO-DMT), and is the O-methylanalogue of that compound. It is metabolized mainly by CYP2D6.[3]
5-MeO-DMT is a sacrament of the Church of the Tree of Life. From approximately 1971 to the late 1980s 5-MeO-DMT was discreetly available to members of the Church of the Tree of Life from Inner Center and after 1986 was also available to some other religious groups from Inner Center.[4] Between 1970 and 1990 smoking of 5-MeO-DMT on parsley was probably one of the two most common forms of ingestion in the United States.[4] A member of the Church of the Tree of Life estimates there were fewer than 6,000 active members in 1979.[5]
When used as a drug in its purified form, 5-MeO-DMT is vaporized, insufflated, or injected and is active at a dose of as little as 2 mg. 5-MeO-DMT is active orally when taken with a MAOI, but according to numerous reports[citation needed] the combination with MAOI is extremely unpleasant and has a strong body load. Additional mechanisms of action — such as MAO inhibition — may also be involved as, according to the researcher Jonathan Ott, 5-MeO-DMT was active orally for him in a 30 mg dose without aid of a MAOI.[9]
The onset of effects occurs within seconds after vaporizing/injecting, or minutes after insufflating, and the experience is sometimes described as similar to a near-death experience. Peak effects last for approximately 5–10 minutes when vaporized. When insufflated, the peak effects are considerably less intense, but last for 15–25 minutes on average.
Although similar in many respects to its close relatives DMT and bufotenin (5-HO-DMT), the effects are typically not as visual. This confusion can become extremely dangerous because the recommended dosage for 5-MeO-DMT is much smaller than that of DMT (about 1/10 to 1/2 of a smaller dose).[10] Some users report experiencing no visual effects from it even at very high doses.[11] Some report the effects to be unpleasant causing nausea and the feeling of being "sat on by an elephant".[12]
Erowid lists the following effects for vaporized 5-MeO-DMT:[11]
5-MeO-DMT is an analogue of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine making it a schedule 9 prohibited substance under the Poisons Standard (October 2015).[14] A schedule 9 drug is outlined in the Poisons Act 1964 as "Substances which may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical, teaching or training purposes with approval of the CEO." [15]
Schedule I / Highest level of control, unable to be prescribed, manufactured, or possessed as of Sep, 1999. (listed as [2-(5-Methoxyindol-3-yl)ethyl]dimethylazan)[16]
Sveriges riksdags health ministry Statens folkhälsoinstitut classified 5-MeO-DMT as "health hazard" under the act Lagen om förbud mot vissa hälsofarliga varor (translated Act on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous to Health) as of Oct 1, 2004, in their regulation SFS 2004:696 listed as 5-metoxi-N,N-dimetyltryptamin (5-MeO-DMT), making it illegal to sell or possess.[17]
On August 21, 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to initiate placing 5-MeO-DMT into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (the most restrictive category).[19] Comment DEA-2009-0008-0007.1 requested a 180-day extension of the period for public comment and requests for hearings, objected to the proposed rule on multiple grounds including Constitutional issues, identified the submitter as a person who would be "adversely affected and aggrieved by the proposed ruling" and requested an exemption for religious use if DEA did place 5-MeO-DMT in Schedule I "as an attempt to define and clarify some legal issues."[5]
On September 29 and 30, 2009, the DEA posted the Supporting & Related Materials for the NPRM while retaining the September 21, 2009 Due date for comments.[20]
On October 28, 2009 DEA reopened the period for public comment because it had not posted two Supporting & Related Materials documents online during the original period for public comment. Documents and comments were split between Docket ID: DEA-2009-0008 and Docket ID: DEA-2009-0013 in a manner which creates difficulty and in viewing all documents and determining where and how to submit comments online. The two Supporting & Related Materials documents were not posted to Docket ID: DEA-2009-0013 until November 3, 2009 but the 30 day period for public comment was not changed from November 27, 2009.[21]
5-MeO-DMT was added to Schedule I, effective January 19, 2011. This means it is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, or distribute (sell, trade or give) without a DEA license.[22]
^Nagai F; Nonaka R; Satoh Hisashi Kamimura K (March 2007). "The effects of non-medically used psychoactive drugs on monoamine neurotransmission in rat brain". European Journal of Pharmacology559 (2-3): 132–7. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2006.11.075. PMID17223101.
