25i-NBOMe

25I-NBOMe, also known as 2C-I-NBOMe, Cimbi-5, and shortened to “25I,” is a psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, 2C, and NBOMe (25-NB) families. Since 2010, it has circulated in the recreational drug scene, often misrepresented as LSD. It is the most well-known member of the 25-NB family and the earliest member to be encountered as a novel recreational drug.

Street and media nicknames for this drug include “N-Bomb,” “Solaris,” “Smiles,” and “Wizard,” although the drug is frequently fraudulently sold as LSD.

Due to its physical effects and risk of overdose, there have been multiple deaths attributed to the drug. Its long-term toxicity is unknown due to lack of existing research.

25I-NBOMe was first described in 2000. It was first encountered as a novel recreational drug in 2010, and by 2012, NBOMes like 25I-NBOMe had surpassed other major psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin-containing mushrooms in popularity, at least for a time. 25I-NBOMe became a controlled substance in the United States in 2013.

Although 25I-NBOMe was first described by 2000, it did not emerge as a common recreational drug until 2010, when it was first sold by vendors specializing in the supply of designer drugs In a slang context, the name of the compound is often shortened to “25I” or is simply called “N-Bomb.” According to a 2014 survey, 25I-NBOMe was the most frequently used of the NBOMe series. By 2013, case reports of 25I-NBOMe intoxication, with and without analytic confirmation of the drug in the body, were becoming increasingly common in the medical literature.

25I-NBOMe is widely rumored to be orally inactive; however, apparent overdoses have occurred via oral administration. Common routes of administration include sublingual, buccal, and intranasal. For sublingual and buccal administration, 25I-NBOMe is often applied to sheets of blotter paper of which small portions (tabs) are held in the mouth to allow absorption through the oral mucosa. There are reports of intravenous injection of 25I-NBOMe solution and smoking the drug in powdered form

Due to its potency and much lower cost than so-called classical or traditional psychedelics, 25I-NBOMe blotters are frequently misrepresented as or mistaken for LSD blotters. Even small quantities of 25I-NBOMe can produce a large number of blotters. Vendors would import 25I-NBOMe in bulk (e.g., 1 kg containers) and resell individual doses for a considerable profit.

25I-NBOMe is potent, being active in sub-milligram doses. A common dose of the hydrochloride salt is 600–1,200. The UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs states that a common dose is between 50 and 100 μg, although other sources indicate that these figures are incorrect; Erowid tentatively suggests that the threshold dose for humans is 50–250 μg, with a light dose between 200 and 600 μg, a common dose at 500–800 μg, and a strong dose at 700–1500 μg.

At this level of potency, it is not possible to accurately measure a single dose of 25I-NBOMe powder without an analytical balance, and attempting to do so may put the user at significant risk of overdose.
>There is a high risk of overdose due to the small margin between a high-dose and an overdose, which is not a risk with the similar drug LSD. One study has shown that 25I-NBOMe blotters have ‘hotspots’ of the drug, and the dose is not evenly applied over the surface of the paper, which could lead to overdose.