Toad in the road: Biocultural history and conservation challenges of the Sonoran Desert Toad
Journal of Psychedelic Studies November 30, 2023 R Villa 5 citations
The Sonoran Desert Toad is the only vertebrate known to produce the powerful psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT, which is easily accessible from its exterior glands. First reported in 1965 and 1967, the compound's discovery led to popular psychedelic use after a 1984 pamphlet. Unmitigated use in for-profit spirituality, wellness, and adventurism has driven erroneous and exploitive narratives of ancient Indigenous use, increasing exploitation of the toad, biocultural erosion, and malpractice. Reconciliation of diverse needs is intellectually and financially challenging, requiring careful approaches that avoid extraction and appropriation of Indigenous and wellness motifs, and can be reached through intersection of Indigenous and Western science. Few conservation studies and outreach efforts exist, mostly supported by crowdfunding.