At Chacruna: Is Ayahuasca a “Drug”?

Kenneth Tupper, Ph.D.

As ayahuasca drinking emerges as a global phenomenon beyond the Amazon, one of the more curious claims about the brew that one regularly comes across is that it is not a “drug.” People who have experienced ayahuasca will call it a medicine, a sacrament, or even a plant teacher, but with remarkable frequency and predictability insist adamantly that it’s not a “drug.”... continue reading.