Is DOI A Psychiatric Wonder Drug Or Just Another Illegal High?
If you can get past the vitriol and the conspiracy theories, it can be quite interesting to ask people their opinions on drugs. Which recreational drugs are harmful, which ones are harmless fun, and which ones are beneficial to your health? These days, almost everyone will tell you that fentanyl and other opioids are almost universally bad news; this is what people used to say about heroin, and these new opioids are at least as dangerous as heroin. Even though heroin is scary not only because of the risk of opioid overdose but because of the risk of bloodborne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C infections, associated with intravenous injections. Some people will tell you that drugs are bad, but cannabis is a health food, not a drug. A growing segment of the public believes in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD; researchers have even conducted clinical trials on various psychedelic drugs to investigate their effect on psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and drug cravings. While our grandparents could easily walk into a doctor’s office and get a prescription for amphetamines when they were young adults, today, amphetamines are widely considered bad drugs. What then, does one make of a drug that looks like an amphetamine under a microscope but feels like a psychedelic. If you are facing criminal charges for an ostensibly uncategorizable drug, contact a Pittsburgh drug crime lawyer.
The Liminal Legal Status of DOI and Other Substituted Amphetamines
From a chemical standpoint, 2,5dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, better known as DOI, is a substituted amphetamine. That means that its molecular structure is the same as amphetamine, except for a difference of a few atoms. Since the drug was first synthesized decades ago, people who have taken it have described its effects as similar to LSD, except with fewer visual hallucinations and a stronger “body buzz” feeling. It does not have the stimulant effects of most amphetamine-like drugs.
It is difficult to tell how widespread DOI is in the illegal drug supply. In several countries, it is used as a rave drug. At any given rave, though, participants are unlikely to know for certain whether the pills they are taking are MDMA, DOI, or any of a host of other rave drugs. DOI is not scheduled at the federal level, although some states, not including Pennsylvania, have categorized it as Schedule I.
In the News
A team of researchers at Oxford University in the United Kingdom recently published a study in which mice received a dose of DOI. The mice who took DOI had an easier time finding their way out of a maze, which may indicate that the drug helps problem-solving ability by reducing mental rigidity. This could lead to investigation of the drug’s treatment potential for conditions like dementia and PTSD, where mental rigidity plays a role.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges related to experimental drugs like DOI. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Sources:
psypost.org/little-known-psychedelic-found-to-have-a-fascinating-effect-on-cognitive-flexibility-after-just-a-single-dose/
nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02439-2
