With the massive popularity of DMT vapes—and the massive black market of supposed DMT vape pens sold online—we frequently receive questions surrounding the best testing methods for DMT when it’s in a vape cartridge. Through our research and work on DMT testing, we have been able to make educated recommendations for how DMT in vape liquid would likely react, but we wanted to take it further. Since studies of DMT vape testing were either not available or not popularized, we decided to conduct our own. 

We began this research, noting our initial recommendations in our first article, released last year. Our chemists conducted research on DMT vape testing, testing DMT mixed with propylene glycol, a popular liquid often found as the solvent in DMT vape liquid. This study proved our initial hypothesis; that the propylene glycol itself may react with one of the reagents, and in turn, affect our testing recommendations.

Check out all of our updated DMT vape reaction videos here. 

DMT Drug Test—What Kits Do I Need? 

When testing DMT vape liquid, we recommend using the LSD Spot Kit Package, which includes our Ehrlich and Hofmann reagents. This is our most updated recommendation, because these reagents do not react to propylene glycol, and instead react to DMT’s indole structure. The Mecke reagent, included in our standard  DMT Spot Kit Package (our typical recommendation for normal DMT) is not ideal for testing DMT vape liquid, because the propylene glycol interferes with Mecke’s reaction to DMT. 

DMT Vape Mixtures & Testing  

This was where our previous research ended. However, after receiving feedback from our insightful community, we were made aware of a bit more intricacy in DMT e-liquid, and how this could affect our research. Typically, when purchasing (or making your own) DMT vape liquid, the liquid itself is not comprised of only propylene glycol (PG) and DMT. Because some people find PG difficult to inhale on its own, people will often mix PG and another solvent, such as vegetable glycerin, or PEG into their e-liquid. 

To be as thorough as possible with our testing, we decided to conduct two more series of experiments, one with DMT and PEG, and one with DMT and vegetable glycerin. Like our first test with DMT and PG, we used 1 gram of DMT to 3 milliliters of solvent. This is one of the standard mixtures, though some choose a 1:1 ratio of DMT to solvent, depending on preference. 

We wanted to test each of these solvents individually, though it became clear why most people do not mix DMT with only vegetable glycerin (DMT does not fully dissolve with vegetable glycerin alone). People typically opt for a 70:30 ratio of PG to VG, or even a 50:50 ratio. 

After conducting these tests, we concluded that regardless of the solvent, our recommendation for DMT vape pens remains consistent—the Ehrlich and Hofmann reagents provide the most consistent reaction, regardless of the solvent. Similar to the DMT/PG combo, Mecke also reacted with the two other DMT vape liquid options, indicating that it is best to steer clear of testing DMT vape liquid with this reagent, or otherwise understand how the reaction should look.

DMT Vape Liquid with the Recommended DMT Vape Spot Kit Package (AKA the LSD Spot Kit Package)

Below is a comparison of each of the four tests (normal DMT, vs DMT mixed in the various vape liquids) at the 60 second mark to compare the slight differences in color. Overall, they remain largely consistent, with the DMT vape liquids reacting slightly slower and resulting in a slightly fainter color.

Extracting DMT Vape Juice from the Cartridge 

When testing a DMT vape cartridge, one of the most important steps is to drop vape liquid out of the cartridge to test it, NOT to drop any Spot Kit/reagent into the cartridge itself. This is very important—if you drop reagent into your vape cartridge, it will make your liquid toxic to consume!

To extract the e-liquid, typically, the mouthpiece can be removed, the vial can be unscrewed, and a few drops will drop out of the end when held upside down. Otherwise, a syringe may be necessary to pull liquid from the cart. Either way, some recommend heating the cartridge or the syringe slightly to help the liquid flow more easily. You can use a hair dryer to warm the cartridge, or place the cart in an airtight plastic bag and submerge it in warm water. 

If the vial cannot be unscrewed or opened in any way, then it will not be possible to test the liquid.

Warnings for DMT Pens 

Like any illicit substance purchased anywhere, take caution before choosing to consume! It is imperative to test your vape liquid with the DMT Vape Spot Kit Package (aka, the LSD Spot Kit Package). Even if a website looks legitimate, these DMT vape pens are not regulated, and always pose the risk of containing another substance altogether, or being cut with a dangerous substance.

We are grateful for our community in bringing new testing opportunities to our attention, and for allowing us to further our research to provide the best advice possible! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with new information, new trends of dangerous substance cuts, and new research chemicals that would benefit the community to study further. 

Find all of our updated DMT vape reaction videos and 300+ other substances here.