I'm not sure why, but I always loved mescaline. At least I think I did. Were those chocolate mescaline caps really mescaline, or just a way for someone to move some pretty decent acid at higher than acid prices? Either way, we all convinced ourselves that it had a better high, and was a cleaner trip.
Peyote, though, was unmistakeable, and was never a completely clean trip. When the puking stopped, however, the appropriate "doors of perception" thing happened and it's clear where the connection with spirituality comes from. There was some liquified stuff we bought in a market in Durango, Mexico one time that was a challenge to slug down, but it was still more manageable than the dried cactus buttons. And I never saw or heard of anyone getting hurt on the stuff.
So, some folks get a legal peyote high in this country, and do it all in the name of following their ancient socio/religious customs. Anyone else gets a felony conviction if caught, and that's just the way it goes.
Doesn't it seem odd that we don't have a "one size fits all" policy on this subject? If peyote creates a spirtual experience, do you really want some bureaucrat deciding who gets to go there? If the stuff is safe enough for some folks, what is the excuse for keeping it out of the hands of the rest of us?
I mean, if the government is afraid of things getting out of hand, how about a chain of state owned "sweat lodges" where we have to pay admission to get in, and pass a sobriety test to get out? Or, what the heck, let's just sell mescaline pills at the concession stands of every amusement park. That's what I would call a real magic kingdom.