Absinthe now legal in the US?

[deftones34]

anyone else hear about this? it was in the new york time a week or so ago.

 

[deftones34]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?_r=1&ref=style&oref=slogin

 

[Jack D Ripper]

Absinthe = 100% Placebo

so yah, its legal. They dont have an active ingredient to outlaw...

edit (of course there is alcohol in absinthe, just nothing psychedelic)

 

[deftones34]

what? it's been illegal since 1912 in the US

 

[Jack D Ripper]

not exactly... its illegal to import/sell absinthe containing thujone for human consumption (because of a bunch of 150 year old junk-science that claims it is psychedelic).

Thujone is now known to have no psychaedelic properties, and is sold in many herbal products approved by the FDA.

 

[NOKUY]

YIKES!

 

[PhenoMenal]

i bought a bottle of genuine absinthe when i was 17, it was just like drinking normal alcohol, lol. Dont even bother trying it, it's nothing special, stick to something that tastes decent like bourbon or beer.

 

[Smoke68]

I had heard many a time that Thujone is molecularly similar to tetrahydrocannibinol with the acception that it was lacking one molecule. does anybody have a website to Thujone's placebo effect?

 

[Sheriff Bart]

rotfl
if you think thujone is bunk you arent gettin good shit

what you gotta do
eat a bunch of fresh sage (Salvia officinalis, contains a lot of thujone)
drink a bit
and smoke

thujone and herb is the right combo
you can even smoke the sage but i prefer to eat it

by itself its not so great

and thujone looks similar to thc so it was once proposed that thujone acts on cannabinoid receptors when in fact it works on GABA and 5HT3 or something (thats proven if you care to look it up)

thujone is not psychedelic but it is indeed psychoactive
and if you are trying absinthe, you have to find the right stuff
a lot of absinthe is bunk

and i use sage cause wormwood (Artemisia absinthinium i think), although abundant around here, tastes like ass (contains one of the most bitter natural chems known to man, if i am recalling correctly, still tastes like ass regardless)

 

[Jack D Ripper]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone

Today it is known that absinthe does not cause hallucinations, especially those described in the old studies. Thujone, the supposed active chemical in absinthe, is a GABA antagonist and while it can produce muscle spasms in large doses, there is no evidence it causes hallucinations.
...
Even though it is best known for being a chemical in absinthe, recent tests show absinthe contains only small quantities of thujone, and it is not responsible for absinthe's reported hallucinogenic effects. Thujone acts on the GABA receptors in the brain and does not cause hallucinations.
...
These beliefs got a boost in the 1970s when a scientific paper mistakenly reported thujone was related to THC and most likely had similar hallucinogenic properties based on its shape.[53] With the advent of usenet and web recipes 'trip reports' have been circulating for many years. These home recipes sometimes call for known hallucinogenic herbs in a mistaken attempt to recreate Absinthe's supposed hallucinogenic effects.
...
For many years thujone was thought to act on the cannabinoid receptors similar to THC based on studies that only looked at the molecules' shapes.[1] This is known to be false today and studies show thujone does not activate these receptors[2]. Thujone is a GABAA receptor antagonist. By inhibiting GABA receptor activation neurons may fire more easily which can cause muscle spasms and convulsions.
...
After absinthe was banned, research dropped off until the 1970s when Nature magazine published an article comparing the molecular shape of thujone to THC, and hypothesized it would act the same way on the brain, sparking the myth that thujone is a cannabinoid.

 

[Jack D Ripper]

I cant say Ive ever tried thujone itself though. Only Absinthe that probably only had trace amounts of it. It still doesnt sound like my kind thing though. Another interesting quote:

"There is no evidence any size dose will cause hallucinations, however thujone is reported to produce some psychoactive effects when dried wormwood, or extracts of the wormwood plant are smoked, but these effects are not hallucinogenic in nature and are quite different from the effects of drinking absinthe.[1][2] Thujone is reported to be toxic to both brain and liver cells and could cause convulsions if used in too high a dose. Other thujone-containing plants such as the tree Arbor vitae (Thuja occidentalis) are used in herbal medicine, mainly for their immune-system stimulating effects, however side effects from the essential oil of this plant include anxiety and sleeplessness, confirming the central nervous system effects of thujone."

 

[deftones34]

can i buy it in a US liquor store though? the REAL stuff?

 

[newbgrow]

You can import it from European online vendors, as I have, the only drawback is an enourmous shipping charge, so make sure you order more bottles to offset the shipping. Although, if you were looking for a hallucinogen, it's a waste of time - stick to acid. Thujone does have effects, but alcohol easily drowns it out in absinthe. In other words, you'll be drunk before you notice anything else.

If you don't like the taste of anise (see Chartreuse), don't bother.

 

[deftones34]

I love the taste. Is it not LEGAL to buy in the USA now?

 

[newbgrow]

Absinthe is not legal as far as I know to buy or sell, or transport. But technically, you can own it. They do sell some "absinthe" I think here, or in Canada, but it's not authentic. Check out this forums for more info: http://feeverte.net/guide/. It's the most complete absinthe site I've found.