"New Pollution"
Want a new drug? Foxy and Mystic, two new designer dusts courtesy of the chemistry set, are taking tripsters and club kids to strange new altitudes.
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The online posting had a breathless quality: Mystic to be at Tunnel this weekend! And while it was just a drug dealer hyping his weekend wares to New York club kids, the message echoed the buzz about two new drugs emerging among the chemically minded.
Mystic and Foxy are the next wave of mind-expanders. Mystic is a psychedelic amphetamine known for its empathy-inducing qualities. Fans call it Tripstasy. "It's not as cosmic or mind-opening as LSD," says Aaron, a Minnesota Mystic fan, "but the visuals are incredibly intense." Foxy, a psychoactive tryptamine, provides a more sensual ride. "It gives you this almost overwhelming wave of warmth," says a Chicagoan named Rick. "Within a few minutes," he says, "I was touching myself without even noticing what I was doing." One user claims that "sex on Foxy was the pinnacle of my existence."
Both of the new drugs were synthesized by Alexander Shulgin, the California-based chemist who reintroduced MDMA, or Ecstasy, in the sixties. Both are quasi-legal: While users can be prosecuted under a law that makes illegal the sale or possession of any substance that has effects similar to Schedule I or II drugs, law enforcement officials aren't hip to them yet.
Mystic and Foxy are attainable in powder form on the Web; a typical single dose can run as much as $37. Mystic is already available in 10mg tablets at smart shops in Amsterdam. There are rumors that Foxy pills and even a Foxy-based massage oil are around the corner.
Over- and underdosing are the drugs' primary downers. Because little is known about their side effects, they attract people whose lab skills outshine their ability with a glowstick. But the trickle-down in Clubtown is fast, and demand is growing.
If chat groups where chemical adventurers trade info on acquisition and experience are any indication, Mystic and Foxy could some day supplant Ecstasy. Listen carefully - you can hear some raver's heart beating a bit faster.