San Pedro is Unscheduled in the United States. However, it is a gray area of the law because the cactus contains, Mescaline, which is a Schedule I chemical.
Addictive Potential: None
Emergency Room Visits Yearly: Unknown
Mandatory Minimum Sentence: NA
Mechanism of Action: The primary active constituent, Mescaline, increases the Neurotransmitter Dopamine
Overview:
The San Pedro cactus, also called Trichocereus pachanoi, is a fast-growing columnar cactus native to the Andes of Peru and Ecuador. They are a very hardy and easy to grow columnar cactus, often growing a foot per
year and reaching heights of 20 feet. It is
ribbed , with usually 6 to 8 ribs. It is a branching cactus and often has many side arms.
The San Pedro cactus was first used sacramentally around 3000 B.C. The Peruvian archaeologist Rosa Fung, at the Chavín site of Las Aldas, found the remains of this cactus rolled up into a cigar-like form that were dated back to 2200 B.C. Also, a Chavín stone carving from a temple at Chavín de Huantar in northern Peru, dated to around 1300 B.C., shows their principal deity holding a San Pedro cactus. It was suposedly named after Saint Peter because it was, like
Peter, thought to hold the keys to heaven.
Video:
San Pedro contains a number of psychoactive alkaloids:
Mescaline, or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine/0.3 - 2.3%
