Hallucinogenic drug DMT arrives in Stark County
CANTON – When local authorities seized nearly 10 kilos of DMT with a potential street value of $1 million last month, the drug bust raised a major question for the community: What is DMT?
Some people thought it was a steroid. But that’s not the case. Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, is a hallucinogenic that packs a more powerful punch than LSD, at least when it comes to seeing things that aren’t really there, according to police.
The hallucinations are shorter — lasting only 15 minutes to a half hour. DMT is touted as a path to enlightenment in other cultures around the world.
Derived from plants in South America, it is illegal and new to this area, investigators say.
DMT arrives in Stark County
The drug made headlines March 25 when a 37-year-old Canton man was arrested on drug charges after authorities announced they had seized $1 million worth of the potent hallucinogenic drug from a home in the 1600 block of Saint Elmo Avenue NE.
The man, accused of having the drug shipped to his home, is being held in lieu of $150,000 bond on felony charges of aggravated drug trafficking and aggravated drug possession, Stark County Jail records show.
“We were made aware by U.S. Customs, and we had ties to the federal agencies, that it was coming into Stark County,” said Sgt. Craig Kennedy of the Stark County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s stronger than LSD. (It’s) the most potent of the hallucinogens and it’s illegal to ship into this country and possess with the intent of processing it and distributing for human consumption.”
It had been sent through the regular postal system from Mexico to Canton.
Deputies joined investigators with the Stark Metro Narcotics Unit, Canton Police, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, U.S. Homeland Security, Ohio Highway Patrol and the United States Postal Service.
“This is our first time dealing with it,” Kennedy said.
The history of DMT
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notes that “the history of human experience with DMT probably goes back several hundred years since DMT usage is associated with a number of religious practices and rituals.”
It gained popularity in the 1960s, the DEA says, and was placed under federal control when the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1971.
Some cultures use it for ritual purposes for spiritual enhancement and it is also used as a recreational drug for a “psychedelic” experience, according to drugfree.org.
“Pure DMT is most often found in crystal form. It is generally sniffed, smoked or injected,” according to the website.
It can also be sipped.
In South America, DMT is the main psychoactive ingredient in a plant used to make a tea called Ayahuasca. The tea is used by shamans in religious ceremonies and the substance is legal there, according to the American Addition Centers, a national network of rehab facilities.
According to Kennedy, the shipment that came to the Canton man’s home was in the form of a reddishbrown powder, although “the actual form is like a small crystal.” It was packed in clear plastic bags inside a paper sack the size of a bag of Quikcrete or concrete mix.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that long-term use of hallucinogens can result in “persistent psychosis.”
“The misuse and addiction potential of DMT is currently unknown. Unlike other hallucinogens, DMT does not appear to lead to tolerance. There is also little evidence that taking it in the form of Ayahuasca tea can lead to addiction,” according to the agency.