You can buy live Trichocereus cactus at most local cactus shops. You cannot easily buy live mimosa locally.

Both can be purchased in dried powder form on-line and at some head shops..

Neither Mimosa nor Trichocereus are illegal plants. But they contain illegal psychedelic compounds.

So, why are people in the US paranoid about buying dried Trichocereus cactus but think nothing of buying dried mimosa?

I find it strange that people would be afraid of purchasing cacti over mimosa...cacti is sold everywhere..mimosa is not..maybe it is worse in the states. I think they have cacti(peyote anyway, becasue it is actually traditionally used here on the plains of canada along the US border) protected under some religious act here. I would think mimosa would be more watched because of all the hype over aya analogues.

Dried MHRB can be used as a red-orange dye. Dried cactus has only one use I'm aware of.

No, Trichocereus pachanoi cactus has many documented uses:

* Incense
* Soil additive for improving moisture
* Wounds: A "patch" is made of the stem and applied to the wound.
* Dermatosis: Sliced or ground stem is applied to the affected area.
* Inflammation: A bandage of the stem is applied to the inflamed area.
* Dandruff: The stems are peeled, chopped or liquefied, soaked in cold water with root bark of "tacsana", placed on the head for 5 minutes, and rinsed. Alternatively, the stem is dethorned, cut, scraped, placed in a jar and left to ferment (the more fermentation the better). The product obtained is used to wash the hair. It is not necessary to shampoo.
* Fungal infection of the skin: Ground stalks are applied to the affected area repeatedly over time until the problem is gone.
* Scars: Ground stems are applied to the scar.
* Sinusitis: A slice of stem is cleaned of thorns, made into a "patch", heated and put onto the forehead.
* An extract of the stem is used as a shampoo.
* Laundry soap: The cut stem can be soaked and filtered with or without the addition of salt or alum. It is used to wash wool to give it a good consistency.

Right, I've seen those uses listed. But I think they're was that the Peruvians use it. I don't think Americans are known to use it for that.

But again, in line with my "criminal intent" argument from another thread, if you're USING IT for those things (or can demonstrate that you intend to, etc., and there's no other evidence otherwise) then you're totally in the clear.

If I were going to store it in my home, I've have a printout stored right with it describing it's use as an antibiotic, etc., and include step-by-step instructions of how to make a poultice or whatever with it. Like a whole little kit you put together, to be used when necessary, cuz...."You were afraid you'd forget how to make the poultice unless you had the directions ready "

You're guaranteed to convince the prosecutor to let you off with an apology--UNLESS there's other evidence against you.

Both have uses other than ingestion. So why is one perceived as more “illegal” than the other? Neither Mimosa nor Trichocereus are scheduled plants.

I don’t see any evidence that Mimosa is any more legal than Trichocereus. In fact, despite popular hearsay, it appears that buying dried Mimosa is more risky than buying dried Trichocereus.

There have recently been quite a bit of legal cases concerning Mimosa, and none concerning Trichocereus. The last case concerning Trichocereus that I’m aware of was many years ago in California and it was thrown out of court.

As far as I know, they're both totally legal (unless, of course, one has INTENT to extract or use the scheduled substances they contain. I think more people have heard of cactus and they know cacti contain mescaline. Far fewer people have ever even HEARD of DMT. I never heard of DMT before about 3 months ago--although I'd heard of mescaline plenty of times, and was aware that it came from "peyote" cacti for 30 years.

Well peyote is clearly illegal in the US (except for certain people). The plant itself is scheduled. The US laws against peyote sale are very specific to peyote. They are not broad at all and can’t be applied to other cacti. I think this is why Trichocereus is commonly sold. The argument you can give is that only peyote is specifically illegal, and the laws which prohibit it’s sale are species specific and so they don’t apply to Trichocereus. I believe that’s why all Trichocereus cases have been thrown out of court in the US.

I recognize the difference. But you asked why the general attitude is different for San Pedro cactus versus MHRB. I think it's because people think of mescaline when they hear about ANY "cactus preparation," but MHRB means NOTHING. It probably would mean nothing to the average LEO, whereas cactus would probably raise an eyebrow.

Well then why has Mimosa been under fire recently and not Trichocereus?

I think the common opinion on the legality of the two has no relation to their actual legality in the US.

Mimosa is not a common house plant. Trichocereus is. I think because of this, legally, they are seen very differently. Also because Peyote is specifically illegal in the US, it safeguards you from getting into legal trouble with Trichocereus because you can say “But sire, I checked and the only cactus that is illegal to sell is Peyote. I am not breaking any laws by buying Trichocereus.” You can also say, “I see Trichocereus sold at my local cactus shop. Why are you targeting me for having it?”. You can’t use that argument for Mimosa. I’ve never seen Mimosa at any local plant shops. Never.

If I had chemical glassware, simple chemicals, and MHRB in my house I would say with complete confidence that I intended to experiment with extracting dye, mostly as a hobby, but also because I thought it might possibly be a business opportunity. I could shown them internet sites that mention the dye characteristics of MHRB.

And, that would work just the same with your "story" as you describe it regarding cactus: "Hey, this isn't peyote--I've seen peyote on the internet and this doesn't look ANYTHING LIKE PEYOTE."

AND...if the bastards happened to CHECK MY COMPUTER, I'd tell 'em that YES, I actually first heard of this MHRB stuff on the crazy NEXUS DRUG SITE where I pretend things...and that's how I learned about it, got interested, looked it up, and saw that it made a unique color dye!

But, kidding aside, our COMPUTERS can be our biggest enemy. There are programs available that can wipe clean all files related to internet use, AND REALLY wipe clean empty areas of your hard drive, by overwriting them with 0's and 1's. My only worry would be a search warrant--and I don't think I've done ANYTHING that could legally permit one to be issued. The one exception might be this site: If they can show that YOU (by your IP address) are actively involved with discussions about producing illegal substances, then a warrant probably COULD be secured for a search. But let's remember that the server for this site is in (I think) Holland--happy news for all of us not living in Europe). HOWEVER, it's very unlikely local LEOs are as stupid as HYSTERIX, who seems to think we're a HUGE manufacturing partnership--ALL OF US! Cops in fact has almost no incentive to go after individual users--especially in their own homes...at least without the complaints of neighbors.

For me, if the nexus suddenly went offline for more than a day, I'd probably want to hide any extracted substances offsite until things seemed clear. Otherwise, there's probably nothing to worry about....except friends/girlfriends/relatives/wives who suddenly decide they want to hold a grudge.

exactly.

I buy my cactus legally and locally and pay taxes on it, it is completely legal..I am not afraid.

I think purchasing anything of this nature over the internet and giving out true personal info and address to an unknown will make people paranoid in general regarding repercussions from the "MAN", Just because of the nature of the beast. However, if not importing large amounts and keeping it at a personal level I feel there is really no real threat.

I would hope the feds would have something better to do than worry and track people purchasing limited amounts of any plant matter.