Disturbing thoughts of teenagers licking the backs of “psychedelic toads” to get high troubled lawmakers in Kyrgyzstan this week as MPs debated how to amend a law on combatting the illicit trafficking of narcotics.

There are places in the US and other parts of the world where authorities have warned people to “keep your tongue” in your mouth when it comes to toads and frogs that secrete psychedelic toxins that can trigger hallucinations—and sometimes serious, incapacitating sickness—if ingested and, on January 23, the Kyrgyz parliament debated proposed moves such as placing a ban on the import of frogs and toads that contain such psychotropic substances.

Local media reported that one MP, Iskhak Masaliyev, was unhappy with the wording of drafted amendments dealing with the specified frogs and toads, saying: “It turns out that now our young people are forbidden to kiss frogs! I’m not against this initiative, but it should have been analysed in more detail when drafting. A frog is not just a living organism – it is an animal, an amphibian.”

The MP sponsoring the bill of amendments aimed at countering drug traffickers, Meder Aliyev, was cited by Kyrgyz media as telling lawmakers in the parliamentary chamber that while such “toad” laws may seem unusual, they are necessary.

“For instance, in one US state, teenagers are forbidden to kiss frogs because some frogs there secrete psychoactive substances,” Aliyev reportedly said.

During the parliamentary session, MP Iskhak Masaliyev asked for a clarification on why the term “living organisms” was present in the text of the bill. Deputy Health Minister Kaarmanbek Baidavletov responded that one amendment sought to prevent the import into Kyrgyzstan of certain amphibians with skin and venom that can have narcotic effects.

The Times of Central Asia reported that one amphibian of concern is the Bufo alvarius toad (also known as the Colorado River toad and the Sonoran Desert toad) which secretes the psychoactive substance 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine). This is a powerful alkaloid in a class of tryptamines. When inhaled, it can provoke intense hallucinations as well as euphoria and a sensation of warmth. There are places in South America where the compound is used in shamanic rituals.