Mescaline Mescaline is legal only for certain religious groups (such as the Native American Church) and in scientific and medical research. In 1990, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Oregon could ban the use of mescaline in Native American religious ceremonies. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 1993 allowed the use of peyote in religious ceremony, but in 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that the RFRA is unconstitutional when applied against states. Many states, including the state of Utah, have legalized peyote usage with "sincere religious intent", or within a religious organization, regardless of race. While mescaline-containing cacti
4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione 4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione 4,5-Dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (DPD) is an organic compound that occurs naturally but exists as several related structures. The idealized formula for this species is CHC(O)C(O)CH(OH)CHOH, but it is known to exist as several other forms resulting from cyclization. It is not stable at room temperature as a pure material, which has further complicated its analysis. The ("S")-stereoisomer occurs naturally. It is typically hydrated, i.e., one keto group has added water to give the geminal diol. DPD is produced by degradation of "S"-adenosylhomocysteine by the action of the enzyme "S"-ribosylhomocysteinase. The compound probably does not exist as depicted above, but as an