DDR Presentation Frog Licking Getting high on nature is taking on a whole new meaning.

BEWARE! USA TODAY August 10, 1989 NATIONLINE TOAD LICKERS BEWARE: The latest way to get high is toad licking. A popular lick victim: the Colorado River Toad. When agitated, it secretes a hallucinogenic chemical through its skin. But the party practice could be fatal - some toads emit a cardiac toxin. ``If you pick the wrong toad, you won't only get high, you'll get dead,'' warns University of Michigan amphibian expert Carl Gans. Bufotenine is considered a controlled, dangerous substance and is therefore illegal. However, it is not against the law to own a toad. Licking toads will not give you warts or produce a fairy prince, but it might get you high.

HOW IT STARTED In recent years, toad licking has become popular in the Australian outback, prompting Queensland's government to classify toad slime as an illegal substance under its Drug Misuse Act. "That's how this whole cycle started--a lack of dope in the Australian outback," said Sager. "There, they are killing the toads, drying the skins and making tea. Yummy, huh? "This is what you call a desperation high. It's the sort of thing you do when you run out of dope," he added. "It's bizarre behavior. Man has always found ways to get (high), and he's found some weird ways to do it."

The bright coloration of the poison dart frog serves as a warning to potential predators that it is one of the most poisonous animals on earth. From tiny pores in its skin, the frog secretes a defensive toxin that makes it unpalatable to curious predators and which could easily kill if injected into a human or other animal. FROGS ARE POISONOUS

BEWARE! Colorado River Toads secrete a very poisonous toxin that causes powerful hallucinations when ingested and in large amounts may even be able to kill a human. Curious dogs will often mouth the toads and this can kill the dog if they are not treated immediately. It isn't exactly an epidemic, but the Drug Enforcement Administration says toad licking is the latest way to hallucinate.

THE HIGH Coming on INSTANLY, you will feel a buzzing head-rush and notice a profound change in light and color perceptions. Acute closed-eye visual hallucinations are commonly reported. Effects last for 5 to 15 minutes, falling off rapidly. WARNING: Venom smokers may experience. Licking toads will not give you warts or produce a fairy prince, but it might get you high.

SMOKING FROGS The toad's venom is concentrated on the surface of it's skin, and that's why licking is dangerous. Smoking it is a different story, however. The toxic ingredient in toad venom is called bufotenine, which is burned off while smoking. After the toxic stuff is gone, what's left is the hallucinogen 5-MeO-DMT. THIS is what sends you to never-never land. In order to get a smokeable sample, put the toad on a piece of glass (a pyrex baking dish works well) and rub the parotid glands behind it's eyes. This will irritate the toad, and it will secrete a milky fluid. Once there is a goodly amount of it, let it evaporate to a crystal and then scrape it with a razor blade and place it in a glass pipe for smoking.

WARNING Frog secretion induces powerful hallucinations, dizziness and/or heart palpitations, possible brain damage or even death. Physical injury can result during the high.

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