Peyote Harvest Dwindling

Conservationists are concerned by the overharvesting of peyote, a small cactus used by Native Americans in religious ceremonies. The hallucinogenic Lophophora williamsii cactus grows wild only in portions of four southern Texas counties and in the northern Mexico desert. Use of the cactus is limited to members of tribes recognized by the government. An estimated 200,000 to 500,000 members of the Native American Church in the US and Canada consume the plant for ceremonial purposes.

The Native American Church along with conservationists and other Indian rights advocates are looking at ways to alleviate the pressure being put on wild populations of the plants in Texas. Currently legal restrictions prevent cultivation of the plant or importation from Mexico.

Link: In Deep South Texas, peyote harvest dwindling from the Seattle Times

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:27 PM on October 7, 2005