Mar 24 (edited) • General discussion
DMT, DNA & the DEA:
Our relationship to plant medicine is as natural as our bodies craving food and water, it’s called “Herbalism.” Herbalism is a result of our ancient ancestors' evolutionary history with sacred plants containing higher quantities of Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT for medicinal purposes for tens of thousands of years. Due to the epigenetic effects these plants have on our gene expression, our bodies are naturally "wired" to interact with DMT at a cellular level, and has lead to a biological predisposition to respond positively to DMT. This is why we are all instinctively drawn to these plants, it’s literally in our DNA to have a relationship and seek them out. Yet it remains federally illegal. As a result, citizens in the U.S., a country, founded on the freedom of religion, are persecuted and imprisoned for this normal and natural act. If not by the government, shame can come from a society brainwashed by the demonization of these sacred plants.
Some of you might relate to my struggles trying to share the truth of plant medicine with conservative family members. Being lectured by an uninformed relative with a daughter who’s addicted to heroin, who dismisses my efforts and claims “they know enough”, or live with limitations like “All I need to know is…” have no problem taking prescribed medications or drinking alcohol, equating “legal” as “healthy” and never realizing that the perpetrated misbelief is being reinforced by their own inflated egos. The ego knows best and doesn’t need to know more. Outcasting me with limited logic and insight with “Who ever heard of curing a drug addiction with another drug? That’s just dumb, Eric”.
One issue we share is the mislabeling of the word “Drug.” “Drug” is a word the DEA can apply to any chemical they deem illegal. Without logic or reason. Did you know you can’t even use any pharmacological evidence to protect yourself in a court of law? That's the same as not being allowed to use forensic evidence to defend a murder charge. That puts “illegal drug use” up there with how the Salem witch trials were conducted in court. Our laws need an update in the worst way.
In December 2023, I was introduced to a tree farmer in southern Mexico Who offered me a great opportunity to resell hand harvested Mimosa Hostilis Root Bark. At first, I would import 10 kilos and resell them at the lowest price on the internet (as far as I could tell). We would offer to customers an option to save by drop ship to them, directly from the farm in Mexico. After 6-8 weeks, suddenly more than 60-70% of the customer's orders weren’t getting their bark past customs. And those parcels just disappeared. Occasionally a customer would get an emptied box in the mail and couple of those had a letter from customs inside explaining the contents l, described as “Soil”, had been destroyed by them. That's for those who received some form of an explanation. But Imagine getting an empty box with no explanation like the other 90-95%. I had a few upset and confused customers to take care of. To solve this, I really thought we only needed to adjust our packaging to better follow custom’s protocols better. I needed a few dozen kilos to catch up, so I had placed progressively larger and larger orders. Even then, I would only getting 5-10 kilos when the smaller boxes trickled through, but not enough to fill my customer’s orders. So I started doubling down. 20 kilos, then 40 kilos, 65 kilos, 85 kilos… still nothing. To fill the 80-plus lost orders I found a domestic supplier worked out a deal and was happy I could replace all the missing shipments. By July, I was rethinking how to handle it going forward.
And then I was paid a surprise visit by Homeland Security with support from the DEA. They raided my home in the early hours of July 22nd. I was cuffed, and dressed (I was down to my briefs when they woke me). An officer returned from my closet with one of my dozens of “iMakeDMT” shirts. This one was a parody of the “G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero” logo, which instead reads “G.I. DMT: Curing American Heroes” A couple of DEA officers smirked as I put it on, and reassured me I was ‘doing ok’. Like how a first responder reassures someone whose world has just been flipped upside down.
Admittedly the officers on site were quite polite to me as they began assessing my property. Soon after I was escorted to a minivan to have a conversation with the lead Homeland agent. I was expressly informed that I was not under arrest and they were there because I had been importing (too much) Mimosa Hostilis Root Bark from Mexico. MHRB is not illegal unless my intention is to extract DMT from it. In this case, my intention was to resell the bark to buyers who likely intended to extract the DMT from it. Perhaps my company name “iMakeDMT.com” caught their attention. As I should have expected, and I did, but I just thought it would be much later and not about…. “bark?”
So when they asked me to explain, I was forthcoming and upfront about my intentions to help and educate our public on medicine they sorely needed. After being close to so many friends and veterans who were willing to take their own lives, and knowing what I knew was morally right, I felt compelled as well as obligated to speak the truth and empower our citizens on how to provide this miracle molecule for themselves. I expressed that I had no intention of stopping and was motivated to do anything I could to change the laws that would support this movement to a better community. They nodded a lot and asked me reasonable questions. They even provided a website link for applying for “religious exemption” status. Which lifted my spirits a bit.
After 4 hours I was allowed to enter my home again. Removing a red “clandestine lab” warning from my front door, I could see they seized not only the 4 kilos of bark I had but all of my glass baking dishes, mason jars, personal fan, cordless drill, blank mailing labels a bunch of smaller tools and stuff. They did take the 2 or 3 grams of actual DMT I had but left my weed and 25 hits of LSD on my desk next to my mouse. (Which I was appreciative of). As grateful as I am for not going to jail, I was sort of preparing for the event. I mean, I named my company iMakeDMT for a few reasons. I believe in being upfront and “iMakeDMT” is also my battle cry against a system that needs real change. Since that day, I haven’t been able to get a response from my bark guy in Mexico.
Only after I had a chance to research religious exemptions, I was disheartened to discover that our country, founded on freedom of religion, has never granted approval for any application for religious exemption, not once, not to anyone, ever. This is outrageous and egregious by every stretch. I feel as if we have all been lied to and I’m disgusted by our leaders whom I’ve believed had all our best interests at heart. Perhaps I was naive to be so wrong. But if anything should ever be considered to be a legitimate sacrament for religious exemption, it’s DMT and the entire family of psychedelics that are being kept from the people.
A week after the raid the lead Homeland agent returned my phone and several hard drives they removed. He told me that they never “do this”. Referring to my phone being returned in one week or at all I think. I asked if I was under investigation by Homeland or the DEA and he said “No.”
I explained, to the agent that I planned to keep extracting DMT and making educational videos for people. He said to go ahead and keep making videos, “…just don’t import bark.” I said “well, if Maine votes ‘plant medicine’ in that would be different right?” He reminded me it would not. Only until the federal laws change could I be allowed to import bark. Somehow, because my intention to extract DMT from bark has been recorded, I’m on a list. However, Just don’t try importing hundreds of kilos like I was attempting to.
Three months later, bark has become far more challenging to come by at the reasonable prices we had last summer. All I know for sure is that we need to change the way the game is played. I’m finding alternate bark sources, but also researching bark from domestic trees to see what kind of options that can provide. It’s interesting, upsetting, and telling that I had a DMT lab raided and I wasn’t arrested. I’ve never even heard of that happening to someone. Either way, this kind of nazi Gestapo bullshit has no place in the world I want to live in and I’m even more determined to get the truth out. Please, help me do that and make the world a little bit better. Can you imagine when this medicine is common place? Instead of PTSD, imagine our military, law enforcement, and fire fighters with less ego and more empathy. Imagine the people in our communities no longer suffering and being forced to use pharmaceuticals that cause more problems than solutions. Imagine us all living better. That’s what I want because you and iMakeDMT and We Are One.
#iMakeDMT, #WeAreOne
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DMT, DNA & the DEA:
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