Legal Drugs That Will Induce a Psychedelic Trip

Speaking as a hard drug user, I have a lot to say about the current state of legalization in our country. Many of the most harmless drugs are illegal—including marijuana and magic mushrooms. Highly beneficial psychedelic drugs, including MDMA, have life-saving attributes for those of us who have PTSD. And yet, these drugs are illegal.

If there's one thing that's well-known in the drug community, it's that a lot of the legal drugs on the market that are effective at getting you high aren't necessarily good for you. In fact, many can kill you.

Looking for a legal high? Here are my takes on some of the common legal drugs that can induce a psychedelic trip.

Ayahuasca

Technically, the DMT-heavy plant known as ayahuasca does fall into the category of legal drugs. This is because many states haven't illegalized it and therefore, leave it in legal grey area. DMT, the drug that the plant carries, though, is illegal.

So, owning ayahuasca is legal, but brewing it is illegal. Our controlled substance laws are strange like that. It's legal and illegal at the same time. But let's just be real, that's close enough to be legal on this list.

As many psychedelic fans can tell you, this is one legal high that can and will mess you up. I know this firsthand, however; my DMT trips have been via inhalation. Your mileage may vary.

The first time I experienced a DMT trip, I had accidentally inhaled after someone smoked a laced blunt with it near me. I only realized that I was hallucinating after the person who was being beat up by a group of people in front of me dissolved into the ground, followed shortly by the party of people who weren't really there.

This is safer than most other legal highs in the sense that it's unlikely to cause permanent damage and hard to overdose. However, it can be a seriously terrifying trip. If you do this, make sure you have at least 12 hours and a babysitter ready. Otherwise, you're in for a bad time.

Hawaiian Baby Woodrose (or Morning Glory)

Both Morning Glory seeds and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose plants have high quantities of LSA, a psychedelic compound similar to LSD. You have to extract the LSA to actually get high, though. That being said, these plants count as legal drugs.

The difference is that the high tends to be more clearheaded than an acid trip. However, if you guzzle half a vial of the extract, you can hallucinate heavily and black out. (Go ahead, ask me how I know.)

With this trip, there's little chance of overdose and the trip is fairly long-lasting and pleasant.

However, if you don't extract it well, you can end up getting poisoned. Both plants are dangerous when consumed, so you can easily end up with a hospital visit if you're not wise.

Also known as just "kava," kava kava is a plant that acts as a legal drug. Unlike other legal highs, this one is so widespread that it even ends up in teas throughout the country that are designed for stress relief. That being said, the quantities of kava in those teas won't be enough for you to trip.

Most people use a small dose of kava to reduce feelings of stress, which is why the teas are so popular. It's a great way to make work more mellow while also keeping it low-key. (I prefer it to smoking weed at work.)

So, where does the psychedelic kick in? When taking in very large doses, you can hallucinate on kava.

This may be a legal drug that's popular, but it does come with a warning. Too much kava can cause liver failure and death. Make sure you do it sparingly.

Blue Egyptian Water Lily

Looking for a legal high that will have you glued to your seat? You might want to take a look into Blue Egyptian Water Lily, also known as Blue Lotus. Making a tea from the flowers of this plant will unlock aporphine, a seriously psychoactive agent.

The tea itself isn't too pleasant to taste, but as far as a good legal drug high goes, it's hard to beat Blue Lotus. It's extremely relaxing and euphoric, without it being too heavy a high. Simply put, it's a nice tea that will get you mellow.

There's little comedown, but you might get a bit queasy during your trip. Overall, it's a safe trip.

Salvia Divinorum

Though salvia divinorum is illegal in 13 states, it's still not nationally banned. Technically, this makes it a legal drug. If you were a teenager back in the 2000s, then you already know that this was the plant you smoked when you want to get a legal buzz and look "edgy" with friends.

From personal experience, it gives you a psychedelic high and a nice giggly feeling. Some touch-related experiences can also happen, but that's more a side effect than anything. The biggest issue with salvia is that the high is very short—and that salvia is very pricey.

Health-wise, Salvia can exacerbate liver and kidney issues. It's also a harsh toke, so if you do inhale, be careful about it. It can make you cough a bit.

Kratom

Not many legal drugs have as serious a reputation as kratom does. This barely-legal plant has been noted as a way to avoid heroin addiction and even overcome it.

It also can offer a nice range of psychedelic experiences, ranging from a nice mellow sedative feeling to a more energized, upbeat experience. Hallucinating on kratom is extremely rare but can happen in high doses.

There is a problem with kratom, though. People have claimed that high doses have cause dizzines, constipation, nausea, and aches. Kratom is known to be addictive, which is why there have been plans to make it a Schedule I drug in the future.

Mimosa Hostilis

Jurema, as it's also known, is a tree whose bark has unusually high concentrations of DMT—the very same drug that forms the main ingredient of ayahuasca. The thing is, jurema needs to have another MAO inhibitor to make DMT active.

Technically, this is a legal drug and if you have an MAO inhbitor, you'll end up with an analog version of ayahuasca. This means, yes, you'll trip balls.

Mexican Calea

Mexican Calea is a member of the aster family that has long been used in natural remedies—particularly when it comes to stomach sickness. However, in larger quantities, it definitely earns its name as one of the most unpleasant legal drugs in history.

Sure, eating this plant might make you hallucinate, but you'll be too busy vomiting and writhing in pain to care. Trust me, this is a hard pass.

Nutmeg

Yes, we're talking about the kitchen spice. It's a food additive and a legal drug. However, in order to get high off nutmeg, you're going to have to eat a lot of it—and it will taste like ass, even if you put the nutmeg in enough hot chocolate to make diabetics wince.

When ingested heavily, nutmeg will make you hallucinate mildly and make you really giddy. Sometimes, you might even get a bit touchy-feely, since the ingredient that makes nutmeg a drug is a precursor to MDMA.

However, it's so unpleasant and bad for you, it's never worth it. Liver failure and kidney damage can happen if you're unlucky. You will deal with vomiting and cottonmouth, regardless.

Speaking as someone who's done it on a dare, the hangover is not worth it. It's like a whiskey hangover, times two.

Spice

Fwead, spice, K2... call it what you will, but it's a legal drug that's "supposed to be" like marijuana. Most drug users would rather risk arrest than use this stuff, and rightfully so.

A number of cases have shown that you can easily overdose on K2 and that the unlucky fools who smoke it too heavily can easily end up with permanent brain damage.

Fake weed is way more toxic than the real thing, no matter how you look at it. Don't gamble your life away, just stick to pot.