Then (1979), Plants of the Gods
The Peyote Supply Problem: Can Indigenous Ceremony Be Sustained?
Schultes documented the Huichol peyote pilgrimage in detail, the ceremonies, the harvesting protocols, the cultural significance. He observed that peyote cultivation for ceremonial use required specific knowledge and specific conditions. He did not anticipate the conservation crisis that would develop as demand grew and habitat shrank.
contested
The Native American Church serves 250,000-500,000 members who use peyote ceremonially. Peyote grows in a small geographic range (Chihuahuan Desert of southern Texas and northern Mexico). The population has declined by an estimated 30%+ since the 1970s due to: habitat conversion to agriculture and ranching; overharvesting by unlicensed collectors; climate change reducing germination rates; slow growth rate (10-20 years to harvestable size). The NAC has formally requested exclusion from psychedelic decriminalization measures because any expansion of non-Native access would exacerbate the supply crisis. Colorado's Proposition 122 honored this request. Multiple NAC-affiliated cultivation projects are underway; they are producing a fraction of the needed supply. The culture Schultes documented may face extinction from supply collapse regardless of legal status.
Sources
- Cactus Conservation Institute peyote population monitoring (2024)
- NAC Conservation Statement (2023)
- Colorado Prop 122 peyote exemption provisions