Certain Exotic Transmitters as
SMART PILLS
or Compounds that Increase the Capacity for Mental Work in Humans
A story about LAZAR as told by Hosteen Nez
February 2015 Update: Author of this booklet is
Darrell Lemaire.
[Erowid note: The following booklet is a little overly positive because it fails to detail any negative reactions, negative health effects, or any other negative elements of any of the compounds discussed.]
Dedicated to our valiant magic molecule testers and all others who helped.
"A medicine is a true one if it cures.
The test for everything is actual experience."
"If I understand
and you understand
O my other
What matters else?"
(From the ancient Ayurveda) (1)
PREFACE
I first visited with LAZAR at his hillside home overlooking the city in the summer of 1980. I had heard of this chemist for a couple of years and was intrigued by the work he was doing with synthetic neurotransmitters and the possibilities which they presented. It sounded to me that he had come up with a real "smartpill" that actually worked. I had managed to meet him at a party on one of his rare forays from his home. It was not so much that he was a recluse, it was just so great at home that going out was sort of a downer.
I climbed the steps from the parking area where several cars were parked, nothing flashy just the run of the mill from Detroit and Tokyo. I rang the bell and waited. Presently from the rear of the house ambled a middle aged, well tanned and muscled LAZAR wearing nothing but a towel around his middle. After an exchange of greeting he led me through the house to a beautiful and secluded pool where a few lovely ladies and their consorts were enjoying themselves in the pool totally nude. I was introduced around feeling really out of place with all my clothes on. Sensing this my host directed me to large bedroom and said I could leave my clothes there. A large, round waterbed held several small stacks of clothes. Another stack of clothes was on the floor with the shoes. I undressed, made a pile of my clothes, and went out to join the others. As I stepped out onto the patio surrounding the pool, I was greatly relieved that no one paid any attention to me or stared, other than a glance to acknowledge my presence.
With a slight movement of his head, LAZAR motioned me to a deck chair next to him. "Welcome to the Lazy Lizard School of Hedonism," he said while smiling, "This is an informal, unstructured, no load happening for a number of my friends and acquaintances who live a more frantic or hectic life than I do. This allows them to relax and unwind in a pleasant setting and recharge their batteries so to speak. Works rather well--most are workers at mundane jobs or graduate students at the U. doing mundane things."
I asked LAZAR if this was his first or last name. He said that it was the only name and the change was made when he was staying on Maui for a while. He had attended a Sacred Fire Ceremony and during that time the opportunity presented itself to take on a new name of his own choosing. So he selected LAZAR since he had been called "the Lizard" around the pool for some time. It was part of a general plan to simplify his life from a bunch of extraneous stuff. He wanted to focus his energies in a more efficient manner. We exchanged bits of our respective backgrounds and I asked him how he had become interested in the "smart pills". This name for these compounds is not correct but it is much shorter than the title for this writing. (There will be more on what these chemicals do and some suppositions on how they act in the human body and neurological system.) He said he had been doing some library reference work and he ran across a reference to a patent application. The title of the abstract was: Compounds for improving the capacity for intellectual work of mammals.(2) This grabbed his attention right away and he realized that humans could benefit most from such a development.
Consulting the Author Index of Chemical Abstracts he found numerous articles by the same man and most of the articles dealt with psychoactive phenethylamines. Abandoning all other pursuits for the next few days he searched the literature for all of the similar compounds that could be found. Many were found in obscure foreign journals and it took some time to round them up, as Xerox copies had to be obtained through inter-library loans.
The first "smart pill" compound made was 2CD or 4-Methyl-2,5 Dimethoxy-phenethylamine hydrochloride (3,4) and was tested at several dosage levels. The higher ranges from 10 to 20 milligrams (mg) produced a state of mild intoxication with increased sensory enhancement, but with no hallucinogenisis. Lower levels, from 5 to 10 mg produced calm states wherein one could read, study, or listen with excelled concentration and as we found out later with much better than normal retention. Sensitivity to this compound varied among the test subjects some finding that 5 mg (or even less) worked just fine for them and others stated that this dosage was not effective. So every one worked out their particular level. In those subjects who had a greater sensitivity to this compound, laughter, hilarity, and giggling interfered with studying or other learning pursuits. During this time of initial exploration it was noted that these materials worked best on individuals who were inclined to be serious about their study habits. When used by persons who tended to be less than studious when confronted with a book or lessons, they would think shortly of how much more fun it would be if they were playing catch, riding a motorcycle, drinking beer or just generally goofing off. In these cases the smart pills were of no advantage and probably were a hindrance to the overall process of learning.
Another effect which was noted, after perhaps two months of usage, was that most subjects began making major changes in their lives. Since many were students at the local universities some changed their majors, transferred to a better school, left the area to places where they felt there was more opportunity, quit the job they had for a better one, got in a meaningful relationship, etc. A few said it should be called "courage", because it seemed to give them the needed push to move onward. Nearly all who were students reported better grades with less effort. Exams were no longer an anathema. Many reported that they were no longer bitchy when studying for finals.
CASE HISTORIES OF SMART PILL USAGE 2CD
* CARL: Graduate student in chemistry on Ph.D. track.
Having completed all of the required course work, he still needed to fulfill his language requirement. His adviser informed him that if he could pass the fourth semester of German with a "C" or better and pass the departmental written translating test, his language requirement would be fulfilled. He enrolled in the fourth semester of German without taking the first three as the department assumed he would. He talked to LAZAR about two weeks before the end of the semester and said he was afraid he would not pass the German course. He asked LAZAR if he had any suggestions, since he had seen him in the library pouring over some of the voluminous German chemical literature. LAZAR said he had some "smart pills" which might help. Carl said he would take them; he sounded rather desperate. He said he had planned to study or cram for the final for a full week of seven days and for eight to ten hours per day. So LAZAR said he would give him one smart pill for each day of study and one for the final if he thought it was necessary. LAZAR also told him that he had a set of index cards with the most used Chemical German technical terms on them. He would loan them to Carl to copy, not with a Xerox machine, but by hand while under the influence of a smart pill. A few days after the final exam Carl excitedly reported to LAZAR that he had passed the fourth semester German exam with a "C" and that during the test when he needed a word it was right there. He also said that he did not use a smart pill for the final exam indicating that the learning is not state dependent. That is, you do not need to be in the same slightly altered state when retrieving the information as when learning it. About a month later Carl and LAZAR crossed paths in the chemistry library and Carl told him that he had passed the Departmental German translating test and that he only had to finish his research and dissertation to graduate. Carl left for a few moments and on returning handed LAZAR his index cards and a very nicely done booklet with lettered index tabs and inside was a Xerox copy of a hand copied short dictionary of German chemical terms. Carl stated that he was translating German regularly and found it most useful for his work.
2CD
* John: Graduate student in chemistry on Ph.D. track.
Having heard of the smart pills from Carl, John wanted to use some for his German studies. He was already auditing some of the first semesters and when he took the fourth semester he used smart pills for pre-exam studies and received an "A" in the course. He got a copy of Carl's short dictionary of German chemical terms and completed his language requirements. John felt that the use of smart pills was of great value in studying for the German and also for the cumulative exams which cover all of the chemistry which the professors feel the student should know. However, after that time, the Chemistry Department decided to plug the loophole and required students to take all four semesters of German.
2CD
* Bea: Degree in music, but not a professional musician.
She fully enjoyed music and toyed around with composing for her own pleasure. One evening while on a smart pill, she wanted to hear a certain song by one of the popular artists. She went over to the large shelf of LPs, and without even looking, pulled out the one she wanted. She started it playing and went over to the piano and played right along with the music. Since she could only play by sight reading sheet music prior to this event she was quite surprised. She played several other pieces by ear that same evening and had no problem playing by ear from then on.
2CD
* Steven: University professor, age 65.
I ingested 10 mg before approaching a new project. At a conference last year an overseas friend and I co-chaired a symposium. It received such positive feedback that she suggested we co-edit a book on the topic. So my project was to write a proposal to send to prospective publishers. The writing was surprisingly fluid. I had innovative ideas that I had not conceptualized previously. I worked on my word processor, and the next day found that I had to do very little editing before sending the book proposal to four publishers, one of whom recently accepted it. Good material for creative thinking and writing.
2CD
* LAZAR
He had heard of a visiting lecture series on "Photo Chemistry" at one of the universities and thought that it might have some applicationin his synthetic chemical work. He went to the first lecture in the morning and found that the content was way over his head and that his comprehension was not very good. On the lunch break he felt that a smart pill would be worthwhile trying for the afternoon lecture. He took 10 mg, a little ahead of time, so that it would be working when the lecture started. The lecturer began with a recap of the morning lecture for those who may have missed it. LAZAR then understood what had been said in the morning and also understood the content of the afternoon lecture. Occasionally the lecturer would be standing at the black board, chalk in hand, and would be groping for the correct word. LAZAR knew what the word was before it was spoken and these were words which were not in his common vocabulary. He finished the two day series with a good understanding of the principles and techniques involved in this area of chemistry. Unfortunately it didn't seem to be useful for his work. What was interesting was the possibility that he was tuning into the lecturer's thoughts, as the latter was groping for the correct word, and somehow, LAZAR knew what the word was before it was uttered.
2CD
* Meg: Medical student.
She felt that the 10 mg regular starting dose was too much for studying, and seemed to act as a intensifier of sexual sensations. While making love on the material she felt wonderfully sexy and had very intense orgasms. One half a tablet (5 mg) was just about right on most occasions for reading and studying. She reported a pleasant, controlled energy and studied because she felt like it and had very good results from the effort. A follow up discussion ten years later disclosed that she felt the use of 2CD had increased the acuity of her hearing and that now ten years later there was no diminishing in that effect. For most of Meg's studies she used 2CD-DiEt, a compound which had fewer distracting components to it for her particular physiology (more on her use of this compound later under its own listing).
2CD
* Arn: Professional musician.
He was learning the five string banjo to expand his repertoire of instruments played. He would listen to records of the best five string banjo players and would play along with them. When he got to the very difficult parts he would "lose it", and have to start over. He just could not seem to get past the difficult parts. Arn was telling his problem to LAZAR, who said, "Take this pill now and go right home and do your play-along thing with your banjo." He reported as follows the next day:
I went home and put on a record and tuned up my banjo to the record. I had never gotten it tone perfect before, but I got it exactly on. I then put the needle back to the start and proceeded to play along with it. After a few moments I realized that I was playing better than ever before. When I got to the difficult parts I played right along with them, not behind or ahead, it was right on. When that side was done I turned it overand played the other side, then another record and another. I played all night into the wee small hours of the morning. I played with authority and I could do it the afterwards without the 2CD.
2CD
* Max: University professor, Age 58
I am a research futurist who is particularly interested in visioning of preferred futures and how best to achieve them. As a practitioner of yoga and various psycho technologies for enhancing creativity and intuition, I tend to be quite aware of inner states that enhance or diminish productivity when writing.
I took 10 mg of 2CD as an experiential experiment when preparing to write a grant proposal. The proposal focused on a new way to do what futurists call "STEEP Scanning": the identification of Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, Political patterns, trends and issues of importance, and the translation of these factors into opportunities and threats useful for decision makers. The problem I wanted help with was this: How to show in graphical as well as verbal terms the dynamic systems involved. As the 2CD took effect (about 25 minutes, although a subtle energy shift occurred in my body almost immediately) I noticed that my internal clock speed was increasing, and that I was thinking and visualizing with increasing subtle "granularity" (i.e., "many more distinguishable trees in the forest"). After playing with ideas for some minutes, I took a toke of a high grade bud of cannabis, which for me often brings the ability to "see" systems in three dimensions.
Wow! The effect with 2CD was strongly synergistic, I not only started seeing the system of "STEEP Scanning" to impact analysis in a dynamic (time dependent) way, I saw it as simultaneously representing emergence in two orthogonal dimensions implicate (like the proverbial "horn of plenty" in which fruit emerges from no-thing-ness); and explicate (like conventional cause and effect sequences). I quickly sketched exactly what I needed and went off with my wife to make love, for the 2CD also quickened that aspect of beingness as well.
2CD
* Bill: A cab driver, about thirty-five years old.
His girl friend, who was a very experienced skier, wanted him to learn how to ski so they could go out on the slopes together. He took a one hour ski lesson and then a couple of days later went skiing with LAZAR and his lady. The first run was a disaster for Bill, who fell down getting off the lift and kept falling down every ten or twenty feet, or so it seemed. When they got to the bottom of the first run, LAZAR called everyone together for a smart pill and then waited a short while for it to take effect. When the very first or threshold effects were noted, everyone got on the lift and went up again. This time Bill did not fall down getting off the lift and he went ahead of everyone. It was difficult at times for the others to keep up with him. His form was not great, but he was really going for it. They all made one more run down this beginner's slope and then went up some slightly more difficult runs. By lunch time all were going up on intermediate slopes and doing very well. Everyone who had skied previously said that they had never skied better. After lunch, and a well deserved rest and half of a smart pill, the whole group went up again. By mid-afternoon Bill had started to lose it on some difficult intermediate slopes where LAZAR felt he had no business to be. So everyone moved down to some easier slopes and all was fine for the rest of the day. Bill went skiing twice more with his girl friend (the first time with smart pills) and the next time the four of them hit the slopes together. Well, the only time LAZAR and his lady saw the other two was when they went whizzing by at great speed. Bill had become as expert a skier as his companion in a very short time. In fact he was so enamored of skiing that he sort of became a ski bum and lived and worked evenings at ski resorts just so he could ski all day during the season. After a couple of years of this the novelty wore off and Bill came down to earth again.
2CD
* Ned: Philosopher, physicist, computerengineer, age 69.
I took 10 mg in the afternoon, at about 2:00 PM. I was relaxed, the house was quiet, and I drifted off into sleep - a normal, after-lunch nap. A half-hour later I woke in a relaxed, alert state. I felt no psychedelic activity, no sensations other than a kind of sharpened awareness. After an hour, I felt that nothing was happening and took another 10 mg. After another half hour it was clear that something indeed was happening. I felt light and euphoric, but nothing particular was going on in my mind. I slept lightly for another hour -- very relaxed, a very refreshing and alert sleep.
I decided that this material was not taking me anywhere, and that I might as well drive it, since it was not leading me. In that period of my life I was playing GO on the computer several hours every day. I had set the level of difficulty so that I usually win with a small margin, with a score of around twenty, but I have to work hard to do it. That afternoon with the 2-CD, I won consistently with scores up around 100-130! My only sensations were clarity and ease. Effortless. The clarity penetrated all of my mental processing, and trailed off in three or four days.
2CD
* Scott: Theology Student, Age 25, 10 mg.
One-half hour in I felt slight euphoria, reading an article I seemed to fall into it. Nice flow on interpretation and new ideas. Especially with reading I feel a shift in the eyes as though they get a little dried out. This, however, is sometimes seen (depending usually on the dosage--15-20 mg) as positive. With reading I feel my eyes softening into the article--like a gaze. Breathing goes shallow but timely. Feel real comfortable.
One hour in: did some yoga. Head stand with elbows position triangularly is real easy. Maintained a steadiness with the quieting of the mind. I went right into a breathing that felt new (the position was so...). This I enjoyed very much. Not strange to me except in typing this now--opening my mouth I could feel the network of muscles there in and out around my mouth. Like the breathing the more relaxed & "giving in to" the more subtle feeling I seemed to acquire. From there I could move consciousness to various parts of my body and feel that area. My breath is in unison as I shift consciousness there. In 2-3 hours the subtle intensity is gone though I maintain a calming feeling.
2CD
* Rod: Business man, college graduate, age 59.
Rod was studying for an aircraft pilot's license so that he could fly his own plane to business meetings, etc. He was having a difficult time studying and learning all of the information that he needed to know for the examination. Ten 10 mg 2CD tabs used over a period of about one month were of great assistance in studying for the examination, which he passed with flying colors. He was amazed at the ease of learning and the degree of retention, and he commented that he wished he had had some of these "smart pills" when he was in college.
2CD
* Leo: Film writer, Age 53
After meeting with you, I drove south to meet with Terence McKenna, who was under consideration as Technical Advisor for the film I spoke of; since it deals primarily with the dynamics of the mushroom velada as performed in the Mazatecan idiom. Terence and I spent the next day and a half going over the proposed film, spinning tales and dancing the dance of new friends. The one full day was spent after ingesting a small (10 mg) amount of 2CD on my part. It is difficult to differentiate between cause and effect at this point, but I will tell you that in the space of that time, I felt as if my brain had been washed in the waters of some cool, clear, sweet, spring; that some kind of opaque filmy veil had been flushed away and that cortical tissues were being exposed to brilliant light. The nature of our conversations was so intense at times, that I would have to leave him and go for a short solitary walk because of being in overload.
Now Terence is, as we all know, an authentic "one-and-only" type person, and possesses, I expect, considerable shamanic powers, but during those conversations, stuff came out of me that I had no idea was present anywhere in my cerebral structures. Ideas were fully formed and clearly and powerfully expressed without effort or effect. I had extraordinary flights of mental connections. I felt as if there was a voice speaking in me that I had never heard before and that its origins were from some deep ocean of intuition and profound meaning. What continually astonished me in the process was that the things the voice was expressing were things I have never been able to say with absolute clarity. In other words, they were languaged feelings more than mental constructs. And these feelings had meanings far more profound than any thoughts I had theretofore expressed in my writings or in my personal conversations with other people.
Coincidental with all of this, there began to be delivered an array of synchronicities that, at times, was overwhelming. I seemed to have achieved in a kind of lateral drift, a subtle and magical shift of perception that allowed me a glimpse of the ongoing miracles occurring behind the mask of ordinarily-viewed reality. As the veil was washed from my brain, it was also lifted from my eyes.
The words, feelings, thoughts seemed to be coming from another part of me. It felt as if, for the first time, the origin of my voice was my heart and what it spoke were the sounds of my true self which was intact, blessed, worthy, and deeply in the Tao. I was continually amazed at the ease with which I could express the most complicated ideas. How this new voice simplified everything and how, in the process of simplification, everything said gained the power of its own authenticity which, somehow, I didn't own, which was me, but not of me, which came from more than me. This report may seem rather effusive, especially since the substance seemed at the time of ingestion, so mild and barely present, but I intuitively feel there was something still working chemically and in alchemical combination in the meeting with Terence and that the "washing" I refer to was still going on. I would welcome any thoughts from the pool of your experience on this. Does this make any sense to you?
Lazar's response was: Yes, it makes perfect sense. You have had a better than average response to this particular chemical, which released your innate knowingness in a way that only you can fully appreciate. Many thanks for sharing your insights with us.
Comments
The above represents a few of the many trials conducted with 2CD and one can see that it has a broad spectrum of usefulness. It was difficult to get the people involved with these tests to make written reports of what they experienced with the compound. One should also realize that all of this data is anecdotal in nature and not admissible as hard evidence. However, it does point to the great potential of this particular class of synthetic neurotransmitters. Several subjects, in addition to Meg, found that 2CD was a little too strong for them; they mostly felt that it "wired them up" excessively. The compound was tamed by replacing the two methoxy groups on the ring with two ethoxy groups and resulted in 2CD-DiEt (4-Methyl-2,5 diethoxyphenethyl- amine) which retained the smart pill activity and eliminated the tendency towards states of intoxication. Along this same line of reasoning, two other compounds were made where only one of the methoxy groups was replaced with an ethoxy group. Since there are two methoxy groups to replace, this resulted in two more compounds 2CD-2EtO (4-Methyl-2- ethoxy-5-methoxy-phenethyl-amine) and 2CD-5EtO (4- Methyl-2-methoxy-5-ethoxy-phenethyl-amine). The first compound, 2CD-2EtO, did not show any smart pill activity in initial trials and was not pursued further. The second compound, 2CD-SEtO, did show some very interesting properties in this area which will be covered under it's own heading later on.
There is some potential for abuse of 2CD as a recreational drug, but LAZAR does not feel the problem is serious. An example of recreational use will he given: A couple who were familiar with the smart pills asked LAZAR to furnish enough 2CD for a party of about twenty persons, The 2CD was dissolved in a sweet flavorful liquor, so that each ounce contained a moderate dosage. As each guest arrived, they were handed a small glass containing the fortified liquor. Everyone downed this offering and proceeded to the kitchen where they deposited the beer, wine or spirits which they had brought, as it was a BYOB party. After a short while, LAZAR noted that the party was going along very nicely, but no one was carrying a drink around with them. He noticed that end tables and other places held nearly full glasses and cans of beverage. Also everyone was interacting with others present and no introductions were necessary even though they were strangers. No one was left out of conversations, or discussion groups, or the music jamming that was going on in one of the bedrooms. LAZAR knew very few of the people there and said he never felt more comfortable at a party. People would go up to the hosts and give them big hugs and tell them what a great party it was.
We all need a little recreation from time to time, and the use of a few milligrams of 2CD or similar compounds is certainly less damaging than several ounces of alcohol and much easier on the system also. There is no hangover or dragged out feeling the next morning. At the levels used there was no intoxication as such, just a loosening up and a mellowing out. The possibility of the material, 2CD, being toxic in the doses listed above are very slight as it has been used in Germany in psychotherapy. There it is known as LE-25, at doses of up to 200 mg. No adverse effects were noted at these dosage levels which are more than ten times the amount used in the above accounts. Most of the dosage levels mentioned in LAZAR's work are less than 0.3 part per million based on bodyweight of the individual.
How do these so called smart pills effect their action? Since these compounds are analogous to neurotransmitters, it is possible that the process is similar to the difference observed when an automotive engine is run on gasoline with a higher octane rating and when it is run on gasoline with a lower octane rating. This is rather simplistic in its approach and there is more than that to the possible answer. In working with these compounds at the lower dosage levels which seem to be optimum for learning it was noted that the amount of internal dialog was greatly reduced. With the internal dialog reduced, the information could be filed in the memory bank of the biocomputer (brain) in a more orderly manner. Thus, without the static that the internal dialog represents, the stored information could be retrieved in a more efficient way since the sorting process would be simplified. This possible mechanism is all right for explaining intellectual activity, but it falls short when applied to the physical/mental coordination area such as music or sports. However, not being able to know how they work, does not detract from the fact that they do work.
...
CONCLUSION
The foregoing is a brief description of the work which was done by Lazar and his testing group on a number of smart pill compounds prior to the cessation due to the passage of the "Controlled Substances Analog Act" in October of 1986. This legislation was passed as part of the so called "war on drugs" and did not specify what an analog exactly was. With such loose wording the law could extend to any compound with vaguely similar chemical structure.
All of the smart pills listed are rather close relatives of controlled substances, so not wanting to be a court test case Lazar discontinued his investigations. Later he felt that it should be published somehow, so that hopefully in more enlightened times in the future others could resume the exploration of new and existing compounds which might show smart pill activity. There is great need for compounds that increase the capacity for mental work in humans. The complexity of living is increasing all the time and the need to learn more complex things in addition to a greater volume of knowledge the brain must handle, indicates an increasing need for materials and techniques which will somehow make learning easier and of better quality.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
As you the reader may have wondered by now, the author and Lazar may seem like fictitious characters. Their names are fictitious, but the account of the exploratory chemistry and evaluation of these interesting compounds is real and factual. The reason for this deception is that the freedom of speech, as set forth in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, has and is being abridged by various governmental agencies such as the DEA. Lazar did not wish to be hassled, and perhaps fined and imprisoned for his work on the "smart pills" as described in the preceding pages. If you feel that this cannot happen in a free country, you had but read Chapter One of "TIHKAL" (Shulgin, A. & Shulgin, A. TIHKAL: The Continuation. Berkeley, CA: TransformPress, 1997. ISBN 0-960096-9-9)
Coffee!
