Nature's Most Wanted
Have you seen these botanicals?
by Brian Ballard Quass, the Drug War Philosopher
May 24, 2022
#1 Erythroxylum coca
UNLAWFUL PROVIDER OF CLARITY, GIVING HUMAN BEINGS MENTAL POWERS THAT GOD NEVER INTENDED
ALIASES: Coke -- and a variety of snarky pejorative epithets like 'blow'
FAMILY: Erythroxylaceae
LOCATION: Last seen on the eastern slopes of the Andes
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#2 Papaver somniferum
PROVIDER OF FORBIDDEN CREATIVITY THROUGH THE UNLAWFUL CREATION OF METAPHORICALLY INSTRUCTIVE DREAM IMAGERY
ALIASES: Opium poppy
FAMILY: Erythroxylaceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Eastern Mediterranean, but sightings have also been reported in North Africa and Eurasia.
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#3 Psilocybin cubensis
UNLAWFUL IMPROVEMENT OF HUMAN MIND, FIRST DEGREE THREAT TO LIQUOR INDUSTRY AND MODERN PSYCHIATRY
ALIASES: Golden Teacher, Golden Halos, Cubes, Gold Caps, Shrooms, Stropharia cubensis, Mayan name: "k'aizalaj Okox"
FAMILY: Hymenogastraceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Cuba, Southwestern USA, Northern South America, Pacific Islands, Australia
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#4 Psilocybin semilanceata
UNLAWFUL SPIRITUAL BENEFITS, POTENTIAL THREAT TO ESTABLISHED RELIGIONS
ALIASES: Liberty Caps, Panaeolus semilanceatus, Phrygian Caps, Mongui, St. John's Mushroom
FAMILY: Strophariaceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Europe, North or South America, Asia, Australia, or New Zealand
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#5 Psilocybin ovoideocystidiata
UNLAWFUL LAUGHTER MAKING, POTENTIAL THREAT TO GOD AND COUNTRY
ALIASES: Ovoids
FAMILY: Hymenogastraceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Eastern US, especially Ohio and West Virginia, but appears to be on the move. Reported sightings made in western USA and Europe.
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#6 Psilocybin azurescens
UNLAWFUL THOUGHT GENERATOR, POTENTIAL THREAT TO CONSUMERISM AND MATERIALISM
ALIASES: Flying Saucers, Blue Runners, Blue Angels, Azzies
FAMILY: Hymenogastraceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Pacific Northwest, especially Oregon and Washington state.
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#7 Psilocybin cyanescens
UNLAWFUL PROVIDER OF MENTAL FLEXIBILITY, THREAT OF GROWING NEW BRAIN CELLS IN USER
ALIASES: Blue Meanie, Wavy Cap, Wakefield, Cyan, Blue Halo, Gold Tops, Copper Tops
FAMILY: Hymenogastraceae
LOCATION: Last seen in coastal US western states. Occasional reports of sightings in Europe.
#8 Amanita muscaria
SUSPECTED OF CAUSING PLEASANT DREAMS AND INSPIRING USERS WITH NOVEL MENTAL VISTAS
ALIASES: Fly Agaric, Fly Amanita
FAMILY: Amanitaceae
LOCATION: This shroom is constantly on the move. Reported sightings span the globe, in North America, Mexico, Central America, Asia, Europe and Australia
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#9 Banisteriopsis caapi and psychotria viridis
THREAT TO CHRISTIANITY, SUSPECTED OF PROMOTING ILLEGAL SELF-INSIGHT
ALIASES: Ayahuasca, La Purga
FAMILY: Malpighiaceae
LOCATION: Last seen in South America
#10 Lophophora williamsii
THREAT TO MATERIALISM, SUSPECTED OF INSPIRING CROSS-CULTURAL DREAM IMAGES
ALIASES: Peyote, Nahuatl peyōtl, Caterpillar Cocoon
FAMILY: Cactaceae
LOCATION: Last seen in Mexico and Southwestern Texas
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Notes:
1: The Truth About Opium by William H. Brereton DWP (up)
Ten Tweets
against the hateful war on US
The line drawn between recreational and medical use is wishful thinking on the part of drug warriors. Recreation, according to Webster's, is "refreshment or diversion," and both have positive knock-on effects in the lives of real people.
My consciousness, my choice.
For those who want to understand what's going on with the drug war from a philosophical point of view, I recommend chapter six of "Eugenics and Other Evils" by GK Chesterton.
Here's one problem that supporters of the psychiatric pill mill never address: the fact that Big Pharma antidepressants demoralize users by turning them into patients for life.
When people tell us there's nothing to be gained from using mind-improving drugs, they are embarrassing themselves. Users benefit from such drugs precisely to the extent that they are educated and open-minded. Loudmouth abstainers are telling us that they lack these traits.
The outlawing of coca and opium is a crime against humanity.
As great as it is, "Synthetic Panics" by Philip Jenkins was only tolerated by academia because it did not mention drugs in the title and it contains no explicit opinions about drugs. As a result, many drug law reformers still don't know the book exists.
The drug war tells us that certain drugs have no potential uses and then turns that into a self-fulfilling prophecy by outlawing these drugs. This is insanely anti-scientific and anti-progress. We should never give up on looking for positive uses for ANY substance.
What prohibitionists forget is that every popular but dangerous activity, from horseback riding to drug use, will have its victims. You cannot save everybody, and when you try to do so by law, you kill far more than you save, meanwhile destroying democracy in the process.
Prohibitionists have blood on their hands. People do not naturally die in the tens of thousands from opioid use, notwithstanding the lies of 19th-century missionaries in China. It takes bad drug policy to accomplish that.
Click here to see All Tweets against the hateful War on Us
Twelve Reasons why the DEA should be abolished
Open Letter to Francis Fukuyama
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Thanks for visiting The Drug War Philosopher at abolishthedea.com, featuring essays against America's disgraceful drug war. Updated daily.
Copyright 2025, Brian Ballard Quass
Contact: quass@quass.com
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