Please Don't Lick the DMT Toads, Begs the National Park Service

You don't get a prince if you kiss a Frog. If you lick a Sonoran desert toad, you could have a mystical experience, or you could die. The National Park Service doesn't want you to do it on its land

If you see something in a national park that you don't know anything about, please don't lick it. The park service wrote a thank you post on their Facebook page along with an alarming trail cam capture of the amphibian.

The Colorado river toad is found in a range that spans from southern Arizona to the southwestmost corner of New Mexico and into northwestern Mexico. The species is thought to be extinct in southeastern California. The last verified record of a Sonoran desert toad in California was in 1955. National parks and monuments are included in New Mexico and Arizona.

At those sites, the National Park Service is again asking you to stay away from the toads. The toads produce a potent toxin. If you get the poison in your mouth it can make you sick. The park service didn't mention that some people might be interested in getting their hands on the toads.

The hallucinogenic compound 5-methoxy-N is produced by Sonoran desert toads. The chemical is classified as an illegal Schedule I controlled substance and is related to other toad toxins. It's an analogue of DMT, which is sometimes referred to as the "God molecule" or "spirit molecule."

A fan of the Star Wars movies. The lightsabers are powered by Neopixels and have strips that run inside the blade shape that allow for a variety of colors and sounds.

5-MeO-DMT has become an increasingly popular drug under the name toad venom. 5-MeO-DMT is smoked in aceremonial settings. Hunter Biden has claimed to have taken it. The substance is being evaluated to see if it is safe and beneficial. The compound has gotten an additional advertising boost from discussions of it on platform's.

The problem of toad hunting has grown. The species is threatened in New Mexico because of people who want to use it for drugs.

Herpetologists warn that the toads could be in danger. Robert Villa, president of the Tucson Herpetological Society, told the New York Times in March that removing large numbers of a species will cause their numbers to collapse. Synthetic versions of 5-MeO-DMT can be made, but they are not as good as the real thing.

The Sonoran desert toad has a cocktail of chemicals that can be fatal. The deaths of people who died after using the drug recreationally are rare.

It is not known if or how many people have tried to lick or collect toads at its sites. The park service didn't reply immediately.

The largest toad species in the United States is the Sonoran desert toad. In order to take advantage of the summer monsoon season, they spend most of their lives underground. The call of the toad is a short one.

According to the NYT, historical research suggests that the practice of harvesting, drying, and smoking the amphibian's secretion isn't new.