I was not aware that she had drowned. The article I read made no mention of drowning. It stated she “was given the substance at a gathering in a condominium near the pond where her body was found.” The body was found by a pond – that’s all it says!

Once again, I must say that the author of the article I read clearly intended to lead people to the conclusion that DMT caused the death.

Police: Teen was given hallucinogen prior to her death

MHRB IS illegal already if you know it contains dmt or plan to extract from it. There is no ambiguity on this whatsoever in the Controlled Substance Act. For an in depth discussion on why that is, you can read through the "Bouncing Bear Botanicals Raided" thread. However, they don't really enforce this (and mhrb can be used legitimately for dye) so we are able to go about our business. However, that does not mean that it is any more legal, they have just been turning a blind eye towards us.



Damn, I didn't realize it was that bad. The articles I read and the news clip I saw said she'd drowned, I guess I just assumed (and you know what they say about that ) they all did and the worst reporting came from other speculation. Gibran, which article did you get that from? That sounds like the most horrendous news reporting I've heard of in relation to this story.

My bad Hummus, I apologize for my statement. Clearly I was wrong and this fact is either not in all the stories or was missed by some readers. Wow, what a crucial piece to omit from a story. As much of a cynic as I am, I'm a little floored that any self-respecting news agency would omit such an important piece of information in a blatant example of yellow journalism.

Agreed, though according to the text of the CSA, "any material containing any amount" of a controlled substance is considered illegal under CSA. Doesn't matter where you know it contains a scheduled substance or not - it's still illegal. However, for any USA folks on here, the DEA tends to go after commercial organizations, so if any heat is raised by this the suppliers will be the ones to feel it for the first part. It could be that the days of quite easily obtained Spice are numbered, just as ten years ago it was quite easy to order 5-meo-DMT, 2c-e, 2c-i, or any number of related analogues via the internet, but now it's not so easy.

Around ten years ago a fellow by the name of Alan Shoemaker shipped a very large amount of chacruna to the US from South America; it was intercepted, he was sent to federal prison, and somehow made it back to Peru where he can't be extradited. Evidently he pissed off the federales with his activist work in South America, and they seized on the opportunity to screw him over, but he got away. The movement really can't be stopped, only temporary set back like in this case and the Bouncing Bear debacle.

I have decided that I think it was a mistake. I'll bet it was PCP aka Angel Dust.
People snort that way more often than Spice (I guess). As a matter of fact, it seems pretty rare for people to try to snort spice, but probably much more common to snort PCP. That's the kind of shit that would more than likely make you do something stupid like go swimming thinking you're a fish.

At first the articles didnt say anything about specifically drowning..

As the articles were updated, the story changed to include drowning as possible cause of death..

The earliest article I saw on google news did say that she drowned (I'm pretty sure it said they found her body in a pond), but it appears that subsequent articles omitted it. To my mind this adds legitimacy to the claims that the vast majority of news agencies reporting on this story are engaging in yellow journalism. I mean, if the initial story had that fact, it seems more than odd that subsequent stories would omit it.

If you check the article of this link then you see that there are related stories at the bottom of the article.

The previous article describes Teen Drowns In Pond Weeks Before Graduation and is about this girl before they knew more about her death. It contains this quote:


And that was preceded with this one: Body Found Floating In Monroe Pond

This together will give a lot more information then just the original article.


Kind regards,

The Traveler

Most of the articles say she wandered off, did not return and was found the next day in a pond. The drowning, in most articles, was infered, or left out to infer DMT as the cause of death.

Although confusing, I imagine this is legitimate until the coroner determines the cause of death.

In terms of charges of yellow journalism, I admit it is very close. However, the facts (according to the articles) are:

- she was offered something that the doner later claimed was DMT
- she was witnessed smoking it (edit: snorting)
- she inquired about the whereabouts of some personal belongings
- she then wandered off and did not come back
- the next day she was found in a pond

it would be incorrect and bad journalism to ASSUME that she either drowned, or died of DMT (by overdose or otherwise). What would you have them print? That DMT was administerd but in no way contributed to her dying? that drowning was the cause of death?

However, neither of these scenarios, while consistent and arguable, are the facts of the event. The coroner will determine the cause of death, and then we will see how this will be spun. Only then we can criticize, if it is warranted.

Any attention of this nature is bad for us. I am as upset and concerned as anyone. But be careful of your claims of shoddy journalism. It would have been far shoddier and a greater misrepresentation not to have reported that she had smoked something believed to be DMT, no? Or, as in the case of one article, to assert that she had drowned before the coroner's report was forthcoming.

it would have been more helpful for us, but it would not have been truthful.

JBArk

Was she? I'm pretty sure it was snorted...multiple reports I read said the guy divided a yellowish powder into several lines for her and her friends and said "it was a lot" as far as dose goes. As Jorkest has repeatedly stated, it's doubtful these kids snorted enough to get anything more than threshold effects, but who knows. Most of what I would consider true yellow journalism is the misinformation being presented on dmt in some of these articles. If the reporter does not do sufficient research, it qualifies as yellow journalism. Perhaps the "facts" about what surrounded her death don't fall into that category, but imo, there's plenty of other stuff that does.

thanks SnozzleBerry, i corrected it. Not easy writing with a 16 month old screaming in your ear and tearing at your pantleg!

And yeah, the DMT info was lacking and arguably misrepresentative. but they're no experts, and it is a new thing. No excuse, but makes it a little more understandable. Time will tell if they continue in this vein or do their research.

Cheers,
JBArk

Thanks SnozzleBerry I didnt know that and I should have.



I didnt realise I had written that sentance twice I must have sounded like I was really panicking

It very likely could have been 5-Meo-DMT. This is active at low doses intranasaly (5-10mg). One could also walk around on the intoxication if a lower dose.

People who buy and sell "street drugs" would likely make little distinction between DMT and 5-Meo-DMT. 5-MeO- can also be a yellow powder like impure DMT.

I think if the kid said it was DMT than it is likely DMT or some relative (although not necessarily) rather than pcp or what not. He had to get the idea from somewhere likely someone sold it to him bc he was snorting it or calling 5-MeO-DMT DMT. Anyone who has any experience knows that snorting DMT is hopeless unless he never did DMT and just read about it on the internet and then obtained some and thought it was a good idea to give it to everyone as guinea pigs....

As for some piontless speculation.... Who knows maybe she was intoxicated on alcohol and went to the pond to use some water to wash that burning sensation out of her nose. Then she got light headed when she got up and passed out.....

There are infinite scenarios one could imagine and no one will ever know. Unfortunately as many have said law enforcement and the media do not care if there was DMT present then it caused her death. Never mind that would be a first for DMT and about a millionth for alcohol.

Also I have seen people "pass out" while on freebased DMT after drinking. The alcohol very likely played a major role. Still the snorting route is what is so odd and suggests 5-MeO-DMT.

I realize everyone is a little freaked out but I see these conversations happen everytime DMT is in the news (usually a bust and not a death though). However DMT is a rather low key drug in law enforcements view (esp the DEA). It is already illegal, although they very well could use this and other arrests to generate hysteria to make the plants available illegal they likely have far more "in their eyes" urgent things to attend to. Also from their perspective they don't really want these little mishaps to stop. Now I am not saying they are sitting around and thinking about it this way but even a bit subconsciously or politically or maybe just bs. Plus there are many potential sources of DMT available that they could not effectively control them all although they likely don't care about this either they will just schedule the most popular ones if they told.

Politicians are just waiting for a cause to ban every mind expanding drug.
In Holland where I live they waited for a series of unfortunate evens to which they could link mushrooms.
They published a series of bad newsflashes about people that would take MDMA, Alcohol, Speed AND Mushrooms, seriously hurt themselves or others and then try to pin it on the mushrooms to influence public opinion.
It worked like a charm. Mushrooms were banned. Our government even completely ignored information reports on mushroom-use risks by 3 proffesional agencies that did studies.
All 3 studies concluded that Magic Mushroom use had a risk too low to consider it a significant threat to society and that a ban would be overkill-policy. Our politicians just stuffed their ears and went on with the ban.

We really need to break free. We really need to turn the Coalition for Entheogenic Liberty into a concrete, international organisation and fight the corrupt laws surrounding entheogenesis.
That or we'll have to accept that any individual freedom we enjoy(legally or illegally) will be forcifully taken away from us with the lamest excuses. I personally find the latter unacceptable so let's make the Coalition for Entheogenic Liberty strong, large and operational.

Ham was sentenced to 10 years in jail, to be suspended after 5 years probation...full article available here.