The Uses and Importance of Mescaline
One use of mescaline (peyote) is in religious ceremonies. For centuries, Native American and Mexican tribes (i.e. The Aztecs) experimented with and ritually used peyote, in which contains mescaline, in order to become closer to God. The ancient Aztecs believed that peyote would protect them from any and all danger. Also, the consumption of peyote was carried out in order for the people of the Central and Native American tribes to become closer to God.
Today, mescaline is sold on the street as a recreational drug. The synthesis of mescaline is expensive and therefore a lot of "mescaline" that is being sold on the streets, really isn't pure mescaline at all. Other substances, such as PCP or LSD, have been passed as mescaline. One study of the mescaline that is being sold in urban markets showed that, out of the substances being passed off as mescaline, fewer than 17 percent of these substances are actually mescaline.
Mescaline (peyote) is an important drug in that, during its primal use in Native American tribes, the drug caused a feud between the local tribes and the imperialistic European Catholics. The Catholics banned the use of peyote in its entirety. The native tribes continued their use of the drug, which led to it spreading into the United States and farther north. This conflict between the Central and Native Americans and the colonizing Europeans shaped history to what it is today.