Misuse and legend in the "toad licking" phenomenon.
International Journal of the Addictions May 1, 1993 DOI: 10.3109/10826089309039645 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Animals Bufonidae Humans Substance-related disorders Catecholamines Bufotenin Bufanolides Hallucinogens United states Illicit drugs |
| Key points | Argues that media coverage of "toad licking" between 1988 and 1992 helped create and maintain the drug-use phenomenon, transforming a fairly obscure activity into a potential epidemic, and situates the practice within a history of bufo toad secretion use across cultures. |
Abstract
Between 1988 and 1992 a new illicit drug experience arrived on the cultural scene in the United States, Canada, South and Central America, and Australia. The media created a frenzy of misinformation in reporting on the latest drug craze which was termed "toad licking". The uses of bufo toad secretions have occurred throughout history in a variety of cultural milieus. These are explored as a backdrop to contemporary drug use/misuse issues. At the interpersonal and social level, media exposure helped create and maintain the use/misuse phenomenon, turning a fairly obscure activity into a potential epidemic.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Bufo toads and bufotenine: fact and fiction surrounding an alleged psychedelic. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1996
- Tissue distribution, metabolism and effects of bufotenine administered to rats. Neuropharmacology July 1, 1995
- Biological Effects and Biodistribution of Bufotenine on Mice. BioMed Research International 2018
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