[pmoriarty]

"toads are a horrible source of 5-MeO-DMT due to the fact that toads of this type contain a variety of other toxins."

Not only that but these toads are at a risk of extinction due to the human demand for their venom.[1]

We also don't know if the toads are harmed by the venom milking process itself. Toads certainly try to get away from humans and don't seem to want to be touched. Squeezing on their glands might be painful for them, though we can't tell because they don't scream or talk, but they do try to get away.

It's ironic that so many people treat these substances as sacred, and yet the animal that has this substance in its body is so often treated without respect and without regard for its existence.

It's doubly sad because synthetic sources of 5-MeO exist, and they don't harm the toad.

[1] - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/20/us/toad-venom-psychedelic...