I was reading the thread on how 'Drugs, Inc.' has chosen DMT as their newest target, and it got me thinking about what we might have to do to change public perceptions about DMT, and Entheogens in general.

Thus far, DMT has been a largely unknown drug, hardly a household name like heroin or cocaine, and certainly never covered in school health classes, which has given us a certain degree of safety.

Obviously that is changing. It's getting harder and harder to find MHRB, Psychotria, or Chaliponga for sale in the US and as evidenced by Nat. Geo. DMT is entering the public consciousness and "the most powerful psychedelic in the world."

This is all very hypothetical, but what if, instead of letting the image of DMT get cemented by The Power That Be, and then fighting that conception, we were to act first, and fight to get DMT accepted and (dare I say it) decriminalized now, while public perception is largely unformed.

I am not an expert in US Law, drug-related or otherwise, but is it seems to me that perhaps the best thing that could happen would be for a high-profile case of someone importing MHRB or any other DMT containing plant to go to court.
That way, there would be discussion and discourse on the legality of possessing DMT-containing plants, and possibly discussion of DMT in general.

Right now the DEA can paint the drug however they want without needing to justify anything other than that it's a "hallucinogen" and public consciousness will fill in the rest.
But if it were a matter of debate and discussion, we have a lot on our side:

- DMT is endogenous to human beings, and almost every living thing.
- DMT has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years with no apparent ill effects.
- The DEA has already set a precedent for DMT use through the UDV church exemptions.
- DMT is nonaddictive
- The DMT trip is short and immobilizing, so intoxicated individuals are not dangerous.
- The DMT using community contains upstanding citizens, many of whom do not use other drugs, as opposed to the classical conception of heroin or crack users, who all end up addicted sooner or later.

I'm not saying that I hope any of you guys get arrested, but we've all been following the cannabis legalization fight, and it's been quite an uphill battle against entrenched public opinions and the alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries.
If we were to act proactively, maybe we could fight that.
Or at least try and get the Feds from getting on our backs about the plant matter.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has some Phalaris grass.

EDIT: I know that this should probably go in the form about the Coalition For Entheogenic Liberty, but I still have my little seedling in a flowerpot, so I can't post there.

I whole heartedly agree, as much as I don't wish DMT to fully enter the public domain. In the event of it doing so, it MUST be given the correct light and understanding. It cannot be turned into the lies that Cannabis prohibition have become. I for one support your idea and will always be educating people of it's benefits and it's true identity before the drug corporations of the world destroy it's beautiful image.

TFTFY

EDIT: Thanks a1pha.
EDIT 2: I feel like we might get more discussion on this if it stayed in Gen. Discussion, at least for a little while. Of course, the Mods get to decide that.

There should be a documentary. A sort of response to the Drugs, Inc. episode that fills in the blanks with what it is missing.

I don't have the vaguest idea how we would distribute it, but what are our other options?

Sue the federal government?
That sounds dangerous and expensive.

Wait for a high-profile bust to come in?
Waiting sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

I feel the most effective way would be legal actions about the US Government and the DEA, but who would be willing to do that?

Also: what is the state of the Coalition for Entheogenic Liberty? Is there a charter? Do they have 501(c)3 status?

No, but it has unofficial back-channels which do. Affiliations with the Nexus are kept at a distance for obvious reasons.

I think in order to gain knowledge about anything or change perceptions which usually is done by gaining knowledge, you MUST be open to change. Most people are not open to change. Most of the time you can show evidence and reasons why something is a certain way and unless they are open for the change they will completely dismiss it as if it were some sort of witch craft. It is natural for humans to do this and is a pretty basic survival technique we have.

Basically, they will have to have a first hand experience telling them otherwise. Most people can't JUST be told something, and for good reason too.

My biggest worry is the greater image of the "druggy". Whenever the topic of any drugs comes up, a topic most of us are very qualified to speak of, I always shy away. In my professional/social life it could be pretty serious if my secret life was discovered, for obvious reasons. The biggest thing is I worry about being seen as a druggy, and thus any further attempts at explaining myself, or anything else, are nullified. I do my best to further good information and try to help people to see things differently. For the time being, they have me where they want me, almost silent.

The most promising route as I see it is the religious angle. The fact that certain churches have been allowed to practice ayauasca and peyote leaves an angle to work for the common person. The toughest battle there would be to convince a person that, no you don't need to go to a physical church for this type of religion, only to have a mind and a molecule. So, the biggest difference is the deviation from the held idea of what a church/religion is typically viewed.