This survey study (n=121) found that smoking was the most common way of using DMT (98% vs 30% in ayahuasca) amongst Australian users. A general interest in psychedelics and DMT specifically were the main reasons for using it.
Abstract
“Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous hallucinogen with traditional use as a sacrament in the orally active preparation of ayahuasca. Although the religious use of ayahuasca has been examined extensively, very little is known about the recreational use of DMT. In this study, Australian participants (n = 121) reporting at least one-lifetime use of DMT completed an online questionnaire recording patterns of use, subjective effects, and attitudes towards their DMT use. Smoking DMT was by far the most common route of administration (98.3%) with a comparatively smaller proportion reporting the use of ayahuasca (30.6%). The reasons for first trying DMT were out of a general interest in hallucinogenic drugs (46.6%) or curiosity about DMT’s effects (41.7%), while almost one-third (31.1%) cited possible psychotherapeutic benefits of the drug. An increase in psychospiritual insight was the most commonly reported positive effect of both smoked DMT (75.5%) and ayahuasca (46.7%), a finding that is consistent with other studies examining the ritualised use of ayahuasca in a religious context. Although previous studies of DMT use have examined ayahuasca use exclusively, the present study demonstrates the ubiquity of smoking as the most prevalent route of administration among recreational DMT users.”
Authors: Vince Cakic, Jacob Potkonyak & Alex Marshall
Summary
DMT is rapidly metabolised by gut and liver monoamine oxidase, but the -carboline alkaloids display MAO inhibition and their co-administration enables DMT to reach the CNS intact. Smokeable freebase DMT may be obtained from a variety of flora through a simple extraction process. DMT is legal in the Amazon Basin and is used in the religious practices of several syncretic churches. Studies have found that DMT is psychologically beneficial or at worst, lacking in deleterious effects when consumed in an appropriate religious context. In recent years, there has been growing interest in hallucinogens in countries such as Australia and the United States, and in particular in DMT. This may be due to the emergence of the outdoor rave music subculture and the proliferation of neo-shamanic practises.
This study seeks to address the paucity of data regarding the patterns of DMT use among recreational users by examining Australian DMT users. It also seeks to identify the demographics and general pattern of use, as well as subjective effects and attitudes towards DMT in a sample of Australian DMT users.
The majority of respondents were Australian-born, and almost three-quarters reported having no religious affiliation. Most respondents used alcohol and cannabis, and almost one-third had consumed five or more standard drinks of alcohol in a single sitting on five or more occasions in the past 30 days.
The most widely consumed hallucinogens were LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, S. divinorum, mescaline and ketamine, with Peganum harmala and B. caapi also being frequently reported. Respondents reported use of a variety of drugs, including MDMA, meth/amphetamine, cocaine, amyl nitrite, GHB and related compounds. Over a quarter reported having injected drugs intravenously for non-medical purposes on at least one occasion, and 7.4% had previously used a needle that had been used by another person.
Eleven participants had used DMT on only one occasion, 34.7% on 20 or more occasions, and 86.7% in the past 12 months.
Most respondents heard about DMT through friends, the Internet and print media. One-quarter obtained DMT themselves from plant material that they find, grow or purchase, and the ease with which DMT could be obtained was rated as very difficult, somewhat difficult, somewhat easy, very easy and unsure.
3.5. Reasons for trying
Participants took DMT in a variety of settings, including outdoors, at a friend’s home, doofs, private parties, public places, and the home of an acquaintance. Most commonly, they took DMT alone, with their partner, in a small group of up to four friends, or in ayahuasca ceremonies.
Most DMT smokers smoked it through a waterpipe, glass pipe or a cigarette or joint, and two-thirds reported commonly smoking it with other drugs. Most reported positive aspects including spiritual experiences, feelings of euphoria, the brief duration of smoked DMT and intense visual hallucinations.
Almost half of respondents reported difficulties with the act of smoking DMT, including the bad taste, coughing and possible respiratory damage from smoking, as well as psychological or spiritual conflicts.
Most ayahuasca users reported having smoked DMT, and most had consumed ayahuasca on at least one occasion. Most users reported not usually combining ayahuasca with any other drugs, and most frequently used other drugs were cannabis and psilocybin.
One-third of respondents reported that the experience was more psychologically cleansing or cathartic than smoked DMT, and 30% reported a smoother onset of action and more gentle experience. However, one-fifth reported the experience’s putrid taste and associated nausea as the most commonly reported negative aspect.
The majority of participants thought DMT to be safe and only one reported having driven whilst under the influence of ayahuasca. Respondents felt that the main risks of DMT use were having a bad trip, having a frightening experience while under the influence of DMT, and having psychospiritual problems as a consequence of DMT use. The presence of another individual, consuming in a suitable context, and ensuring purity were also important.
The typical pattern of use for recreational use of DMT appears to commence with smoked DMT, with some users progressing to ayahuasca use, but most users initiate use with friends. The belief in the psychotherapeutic or spiritual benefits of the drug appears to be a recurrent factor influencing continued use.
Almost all respondents had used DMT, and many had combined it with cannabis or other hallucinogens. Some had also used plant-based MAO inhibitors to prolong the duration of the experience. Ayahuasca was less commonly used than DMT, and users generally did not mix it with other drugs. This may be due to the intensity of the ayahuasca experience, or an unwillingness to risk dangerous drug interactions associated with MAO inhibitor use. Ayahuasca users have reported increased personal or spiritual insight as a positive aspect of DMT use, consistent with reports of psilocybin users in formal religious groups.
The antipodal attitude towards drug duration was observed in both DMT smokers and ayahuasca users, with the short duration of smoked DMT being perceived as a good aspect and the long duration of ayahuasca as a bad aspect. DMT users believed their use of the drug to be safe, but half of them consumed the drug alone, despite general acknowledgement that this would minimise the risk of an adverse drug effect. The safety profile of illicit DMT remains unclear, and the presence of other psychoactive tryptamines such as 5-MeO-DMT in the relevant plant matter suggests that DMT users do not consume the pure compound, but rather a mixture of DMT and related analogues.
DMT may produce psychological effects, and the use of this drug in an unsupportive environment may produce considerable distress. The use of a sitter was also mentioned as a way to minimise the risk of harm from DMT use.
The present sample of drug users appears to be unusually diverse, with the use of a wide array of otherwise obscure drugs. Although hallucinogens appeared to be favoured by the sample, future studies should determine the degree to which users favour DMT relative to other drugs they consume.
Snowball sampling was used to obtain a large sample of DMT users, but the results may not be representative of DMT users in general. Additionally, the data may also contain other psychoactive tryptamines such as 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin. DMT, an uncommon drug, is not addictive and its intense and unpredictable effects are likely to dissuade many recreational users from consuming it on more than one occasion.
Future studies should examine recreational DMT use beyond formal religions, and should examine the psychological characteristics of DMT users, their attitudes and motivations, and actual benefits and harms, if any, associated with DMT use.