Reddit mentions of The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context (American Chemical Society Publication)

If anyone is looking for a book that will actually change your view on psychedelics, I highly recommend The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs by Daniel Perrine. Although it is literally a textbook, it's written like a story as the author himself acknowledges that drugs are not just chemical structures but have important cultural context. Here's an Amazon link for a used copy. It really did shift my perception of a lot of different things. I'm a chemistry student so it was probably particularly impactful but there's a great appendix in the back that goes over the basics of organic chemistry so you can really make yourself understand if you spend the time.

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it a bible, but "The Chemistry of Mind Altering Drugs" by Daniel M. Perrine is one of the most comprehensive book regarding the pharmacology, history and culture of psychotropic substances I've come across at least. Would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to study the topic with as broad a lens as possible.

The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context

This is hands-down one of the best books out there.

Check out The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context. This book is a good match for your description. It is published by the American Chemical Society. It's not too heavy on the biochemistry aspect of psychoactive drugs, just the chemistry of the drug molecules themselves.

I own this book, The Chemistry of Mind Altering Drugs. Excellent read that goes into every detail of the drug, history, pharmacology, synthesis, etc. It also includes a organic chemistry lesson in the appendix. Highly recommended