US Authorities Seek Ban on Shulgin-Synthesized Psychedelics
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is seeking to ban the psychedelics 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC), both synthesized by renowned chemist Alexander Shulgin.
Claims of Addiction Without Evidence
The DEA has proposed adding DOI and DOC to Schedule I of controlled substances, a category reserved for drugs considered to have no medical value and a high potential for abuse. However, the agency has not provided evidence to support its claims that these psychedelics are addictive or pose a threat to life and health. Since their synthesis in 1964, there have been no recorded deaths attributed to DOI or DOC, and there are no reports from animal or human studies indicating the development of harmful addiction.
DEA officials have based their position on online user reports describing hallucinations after using DOI and DOC. As a result, law enforcement concluded: “It is reasonable to assume that DOI and DOC may cause serious harm to human health and public safety.”
Additionally, authorities cited reports of a death involving a person who took DOC along with two other psychoactive substances, and two patients who were hospitalized after mixing DOC with other drugs. However, members of the scientific community argue that these cases are not sufficient grounds for criminalizing the psychedelics themselves.
Scientists Defend Shulgin’s Legacy
Experts from Panacea Plant Sciences, a company researching psychedelics, have raised concerns to prevent the criminalization of Shulgin’s synthesized substances. Company director David Hildreth explained their motivation: “Everyone in the psychedelic community—from lawyers and researchers to activists and psychonauts—has united to oppose the DEA’s prohibitionist policy. Panacea has partnered with at least 10 groups who want to participate in or support our legal battle against the DEA’s attempt to criminalize DOI and DOC. These substances are fundamentally important for researchers and scientists studying the human mind and body.”
Last year, when the DEA first proposed scheduling DOI and DOC as controlled substances, Panacea representatives filed a lawsuit to challenge the change in legal status. In response, authorities have now made it more difficult to appeal such decisions, stating that the DEA administrator, Anne Milgram, will determine whether a court hearing is necessary.