Psychedelic toads invade Arizona after monsoon season begins

The Sonoran desert toad, whose glands secrete a venom rich in the hallucinogens 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenine, is invading Arizona after monsoon conditions set in in late summer. They can grow up to 7 inches long and have a deep croak that inevitably serenades the night during hot, wetter months in several states.

Local news stations are reporting an increase in Sonoran desert toad populations after the rains began. Reporters focused on the toxic dangers for pets and the temptation for teenagers to try it for its psychedelic properties.

“This amphibian is also known as the Sonoran desert toad and has a pretty powerful punch,” said Andres Rendon, correspondent for KOLD 13 News. “What the toad does is that it actually secretes a very strong psychedelic compound, and while it’s very dangerous to animals like dogs and cats, its use as a drug in humans is completely illegal.”

5-MeO-DMT is a naturally occurring hallucinogen found in many plant species and in toads. It has been used as an entheogen for hundreds of years throughout South America and is now being researched medicinally for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Arizona Republic reports that the monsoon season in Arizona lasts from June 15 to September 15 each year, but conditions started a little later after an unusually hot year. This year, the state is facing a particularly hot year with record-breaking heat. Additionally, last year’s monsoon season brought record-breaking rainfall to Arizona and was the seventh wettest July-September period on record, according to data from the National Weather Service.

“The monsoon rains create perfect breeding conditions for the Sonoran desert toad during the summer months, and now the monsoon is in full swing. You will hear the croaking more often.”

Sonoran desert toads are most active during the mating season from late May through September and thrive especially in hot and rainy weather. Once the monsoon season is over, the toads burrow back into the ground after mating. They are found in Mexico, as well as parts of Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico.

How toad venom works

“Please stop licking [the toads]’ the National Park Service warned last November. Licking toads has become so popular that they are listed as “Vulnerable” by the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish and are listed as Vulnerable in California.

The recreational and medicinal uses of toads are gaining ground. Vice Media’s Hamilton Morris extensively documented the toad in the Sonoran Desert and called the toad’s secretion the “world’s most potent psychedelic toad venom,” making it also ideal for medical research. According to InStyle, Sonoran desert toad venom should only be vaporized or smoked. Toad venom is scraped from the animals’ glands and dried into a paste that is later smoked. “The experience starts within 10 to 30 seconds and then you’re physically incapacitated for 20 to 30 minutes,” Alan Davis, a psychedelics researcher at Johns Hopkins University, previously explained in Johns Hopkins Magazine.

Mike Tyson discussed smoking toad venom on Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson. Interestingly, his show includes an animated depiction of toad hallucinations.

It is also examined for its medicinal properties in medicine. Oxford-based UK startup Beckley Psytech announced on August 15, 2021 that it had raised $80 million to advance clinical trials and research on a pharmaceutical formulation of 5-MeO-DMT.

Clinical trials of psychedelics show tremendous potential for treating treatment-resistant depression with the guidance of a therapist. But while a psilocybin experience can last five to eight hours, a 5-MeO-DMT session only lasts an hour, which could radically reduce treatment costs.