Drugs man, drugs!
What is 2C-B?
2C-B is a hallucinogenic recreational drug. It is also spelled as 2CB and is also known as Nexus. The full chemical name is 4-Bromo-2,5-Dimethoxyphenethylamine. See also the Psychedelic Guide: 2C-B.
2C-B was invented by Alexander Shulgin in the 1970s as part of his deliberate, independent search for new fun psychedelics. See Shulgin's book PiHKAL for details. 2C-B is widely acknowledged as one of the best (if not the single best) new recreational chemical that Shulgin discovered in this endeavour.
To dispel a myth, he was not with a pharmaceutical company at the time, in fact he was not on contract to anyone. As far as I know, the US military or any other military has never had any interest in 2C-B as a sensory enhancer or any other use.
2C-B is synthetic analogue of mescaline, with an added bromine atom.
It is a short, light hallucinogen and a good mixer, and has no known serious after-effects. I have never seen a decent justification for banning it. The standard reaction against recreational psychedelics is the most likely reason (god forbid that people might have fun!), as to the best of my knowledge there have never been any studies at all on its effects. Any disinformation that you may read on why its bad will most likely contain vague waffle about the effects of psychedelics in general.
What's it like then?
2C-B is best described as "more trippy than an E, more e-like than a trip, nothing like a candyflip". ie a bit of both of entactogenic and hallucinogenic.
A 2C-B trip lasts around 4 hours, unless you snort it, which is shorter, more intense, and hellishly painful for the first 5 minutes.
The effects are hard to describe, as with most psychedelics. It has nice visuals, but it doesn't mess with your mind as much as LSD, (and on the flip side of that, it's not as deep and profound as LSD). It can lead you into a feral state of vivid awareness of your surrounding, with learned layers stripped away - not dwelling on the future or past, little inclination to talk, just feeling the wind caress your skin.
On the other hand, you could become instrospective and self-analytic instead. Or both, given time. You might feel some e-like empathogenic effects, or you could feel cynical and lecherous. Or both at the same time.
A common quirk is that the cocktail party effect is disabled. You overhear other people's conversations in the middle distance very easily. Normally we tune them out, but this doesn't happen on Nexus, and they appear to be talking right next to you.
Like many psychedelics it seems to me to have a characteristic palette of colours and shapes, for me this being Celtic knots in intense, vivid yet subtle pastel shades. (yes, I know pastels aren't intense. This is hallucination, OK?)
Where and when?
As a street drug, 2C-B is illegal in most countries since the American authorities became aware of it in the 1990s. In my limited experience, supplies are erratic at best. Those who have tried it like it, but the demand is not sufficient to ensure a steady supply.
Nexus is decent dance drug - it won't give you loads of energy, or necessarily make you love everyone, but it will help keep you awake and enjoying the colourful music.
If you're wondering if nexus is for you, it's an illegal drug and that is a risk in itself. No psychedelic is a guarantee of a good time, but nexus is shorter and IMHO safer than most. If you've had acid and liked it, then you will most likely find nexus a pleasant aperitif. If acid is just a bit too wild for you, you might handle nexus OK. If acid is far too wild for you, maybe you should stick to warm fuzzy feel-good drugs like ecstasy, heroin and beer, only please go easy on the ecstasy and skip the heroin entirely.
Standard disclaimers apply about not taking psychedelics if you are depressed, upset, mentally unbalanced, or have a family history of schizophrenia.
It goes great with LSD. Oh gosh yes. See Banana Split There is synergy between the two drugs. The visuals can be very hectic but that's the fun part.
Some like to combine 2C-B with ecstasy. It is said to combine well with other drugs such as Ketamine and DMT. It is generally a good mixer.
What dose?
5 mg You may not notice anything at all, though if you venture out in public you may notice more freaks than normal.
10 mg Just noticeable. Some entactogenic qualities with little or no hallucination.
20 mg Solid dose, with visual hallucinations. You may not be able to drive or read. You may not want to talk.
25 mg + A strong dose, for seasoned trippers. Not appropriate for any everyday public situation.
35 mg + Too much. Though you are in no physical or long-term danger, you are likely to be uncomfortable until it wears off.
These numbers will vary depending on your body weight, how recently you ate, level of prior experience with psychedelics and other random factors.
Nexus is stronger when snorted: Multiply the effect of the dose by 2 or 3 if you put it up your nose instead of swallowing it.