Hey! Who Lost Their Stash?

A thousand years ago someone lost their drugs and paraphernalia on a Bolivian mountain located at an elevation of 13,000 feet (3962 meters). Melanie Miller just found it:

MAY 6, 2019 — Led by University of California, Berkeley, archaeologist Melanie Miller, a chemical analysis of a pouch made from three fox snouts sewn together tested positive for at least five plant-based psychoactive substances … trace amounts of bufotenine, DMT, harmine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine.

“Our findings support the idea that people have been using these powerful plants for at least 1,000 years, combining them to go on a psychedelic journey, and that ayahuasca use may have roots in antiquity,” said Miller.

The remarkably well-preserved ritual bundle was found by archaeologists at 13,000-foot elevations in the Lipez Altiplano region of southwestern Bolivia, where llamas and alpacas roam. The leather kit dates back to the pre-Inca Tiwanaku civilization, which dominated the southern Andean highlands from about 550 to 950 A.D.

In addition to the fox-snout pouch, the leather bundle contained intricately carved wooden “snuffing tablets” and a “snuffing tube” with human hair braids attached, for snorting intoxicants; llama bone spatulas; a colorful woven textile strip and dried plant material. All the objects were in good shape, due to the arid conditions of the Andean highlands. […]

“A lot of these plants, if consumed in the wrong dosage, could be very poisonous,” Miller said. “So, whoever owned this bundle would need to have had great knowledge and skills about how to use these plants, and how and where to procure them.”

Of particular fascination to Miller is the pouch made of three fox snouts. She describes it as “the most amazing artifact I’ve had the privilege to work with.”

“There are civilizations who believe that, by consuming certain psychotropic plants, you can embody a specific animal to help you reach supernatural realms, and perhaps a fox may be among those animals,” Miller said. […]

Ethnobotany is making great strides in disrupting civilization’s stifled worldview involving illicit drugs. Science is leading us to a new and better era, one allowing informed citizens to override erroneous and disruptive official decisions about forbidden substances. It promises to be an era that incorporates better methods for treating or curing physical or mental disorders – public health problems sometimes brought on by uncaring or poorly informed political leaders. In spite of the drug war, a wonderous new age of realism and discovery shines upon us, even though it may be a thousand years late in arriving.

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6 Responses to Hey! Who Lost Their Stash?

  1. Daniel Williams says:

    The Mysteries of Eleusis beat them to the punch.

  2. DdC says:

    PaThEtIc…

    Police oppose marijuana legalization in Illinois,
    but want a bigger cut of the proceeds if law passes

    https://t.co/uSj6mIMmo5
    Police raised their objections in response to a bill announced Saturday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to legalize commercial sales of marijuana by licensed businesses, along with personal possession of about one ounce of marijuana flower, starting next year.

    As Reform forges forward…

    Most Health Professionals Supportive
    Of The Use Of Medical Cannabis In Clinical Practice

    https://t.co/aXqydhVloN

    Las Vegas: City Council Approves Ordinance
    Licensing Cannabis Lounges

    https://t.co/eKxA07cS7D

    Denver Votes to Decriminalize Mushrooms
    https://t.co/UA0ucIiSLr

    Majority Of State Attorneys General
    Tell Congress To Pass Marijuana Banking Bill

    https://t.co/xJ6DoJcX0u

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  3. NCN says:

    Our traveling shaman would make a great main character in a novel. In my version he’s able to time-travel and somehow against overwhelming odds he introduces ayahuasca to the U.S. congress.

    Imagine what kind of world we’d be living in if congress started each session with ayahuasca. Nancy Pul Oh See and her comment “we’re capitalists and that’s just the way it is, might have a spiritual awakening and say “fuck lobbyists” we’re giving EVERYONE total access to health care.

  4. WalStMonky says:

    .
    .

    I’m putting this one in the “from the sublime to the ridiculous to the truly bizarre” category:

    ‘Cocaine Mitch’ Swag Buys Years More Marijuana Prohibition

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been plastered all over the news over the past week due to his latest scheme to raise campaign funds by peddling a t-shirt for his fans playing off the nickname “Cocaine Mitch.” For the most part, anti-drug advocates are outraged that McConnell would dare use a reference to hard drugs as a means for securing the kind of money needed to help him clinch the 2020 election.
    /snip/

    The red t-shirt that McConnell’s team is selling ($35 at teammitch.com), which shows the image of a faceless man with what appears to be cocaine sprinkled all around him, also struck a nerve with drug warriors because it suggests that financial supporters are part of his cartel. Seriously, the back of the shirt reads “Team Mitch” near the neckline and underneath it in bold letters are the words “Cartel Member.”
    /snip/

  5. DdC says:

    So all the Prohibidiot Fear Mongering
    has no Science backing it up?
    I’m shocked I say, shocked!

    THC-Blood Levels
    Can’t Be Determined Postmortem, Research Finds

    https://t.co/fN5gGodBZC
    The role of cannabis in vehicular crashes remains one of the most controversial aspects of legalization. A new study produced by a Colorado researcher threatens to upset one of the supposed scientific certainties about impairment and blood-THC levels.

    Leafly Study Debunks
    Dispensary Myths Around Crime & Teen Use

    https://t.co/LRP7ZFZDsF

    Evidence-Based Studies Refute Dispensary Fears

    When the issue comes up for vote, the discussion is often dominated by imagined fears. Law enforcement leaders warn about crime increases. Parents worry about their kids having easier access to cannabis. Real estate agents forecast doom for any neighborhood surrounding a cannabis store. Pew Research has found a 25 point gap between support for legalization (75%), and support for a store nearby (50%).

    All too often, the result is a complete ban on cannabis stores—which has the unintentional effect of propping up the local illicit market. Here’s the rub: Cannabis stores actually improve public safety, health, and property values. The research proves it.

    California might triple
    the number of marijuana shops across state

    https://t.co/Rk50ZwPlr5

    DEALosAngeles @DEALOSANGELES May 12
    Excellent article about #marijuana smuggling at @flyLAXairport. This article demonstrates that #DEA is targeting #cannabis and you will land in federal prison. https://t.co/RWkcAPaPvZ

    W.F.Buckley Jr. Reply
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6jJAuQU0AAE9fC.jpg

    Illegal Marijuana Grows In Pacific Northwest Declined After Legalization, Study Finds
    https://t.co/4XfDCJTi17

    Las Vegas airport installs marijuana trash cans
    so tourists can ditch their weed

    https://t.co/wHYN7ebxlx

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6o-sUXU8AAolWo.jpg

    Illegal Marijuana Grows In Pacific Northwest
    Declined After Legalization, Study Finds

    https://t.co/4XfDCJTi17

  6. DdC says:

    So all the Prohibidiot Fear Mongering
    has no Science backing it up?
    I’m shocked I say, shocked!

    THC-Blood Levels
    Can’t Be Determined Postmortem, Research Finds

    https://t.co/fN5gGodBZC
    The role of cannabis in vehicular crashes remains one of the most controversial aspects of legalization. A new study produced by a Colorado researcher threatens to upset one of the supposed scientific certainties about impairment and blood-THC levels.

    Leafly Study Debunks
    Dispensary Myths Around Crime & Teen Use

    https://t.co/LRP7ZFZDsF

    Evidence-Based Studies Refute Dispensary Fears

    When the issue comes up for vote, the discussion is often dominated by imagined fears. Law enforcement leaders warn about crime increases. Parents worry about their kids having easier access to cannabis. Real estate agents forecast doom for any neighborhood surrounding a cannabis store. Pew Research has found a 25 point gap between support for legalization (75%), and support for a store nearby (50%).

    All too often, the result is a complete ban on cannabis stores—which has the unintentional effect of propping up the local illicit market. Here’s the rub: Cannabis stores actually improve public safety, health, and property values. The research proves it.

    California might triple
    the number of marijuana shops across state

    https://t.co/Rk50ZwPlr5

    DEALosAngeles @DEALOSANGELES May 12
    Excellent article about #marijuana smuggling at @flyLAXairport. This article demonstrates that #DEA is targeting #cannabis and you will land in federal prison. https://t.co/RWkcAPaPvZ

    W.F.Buckley Jr. Reply
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6jJAuQU0AAE9fC.jpg

    Las Vegas airport installs marijuana trash cans
    so tourists can ditch their weed

    https://t.co/wHYN7ebxlx

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D6o-sUXU8AAolWo.jpg

    Illegal Marijuana Grows In Pacific Northwest
    Declined After Legalization, Study Finds

    https://t.co/4XfDCJTi17

Comments are closed.