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Chemist Albert Hofmann, working at the Sandoz
Corporation pharmaceutical laboratory in Switzerland,
first synthesized LSD in 1938. He was conducting research
on possible medical applications of various lysergic acid
compounds derived from ergot, a fungus that develops
on rye grass. Searching for compounds with therapeutic
value, Hofmann created more than two dozen ergot-derived
synthetic molecules.(1)
LSD is sold on the
street in tablets, capsules, and occasionally in liquid form. It is
an odorless and colorless substance with a slightly bitter
taste that is usually ingested orally. It is often added to absorbent
paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares,
with each square representing one dose.(2)
LSD is a Schedule
I substance under the Controlled Substances
Act. Schedule I drugs,
which include heroin and MDMA, have a high potential for abuse and
serve no legitimate medical purpose.(3) Its two precursors
lysergic acid and lysergic acid amide are both in Schedule III of the
CSA. The LSD precursors ergotamine and ergonovine are List I chemicals.(4)
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Acid, blotter acid,
window pane, dots, mellow yellow
The
short-term effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount
of the drug taken;
the user's personality, mood, and expectations;
and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user feels
the first effects of the drug within 30 to 90 minutes of ingestion. These
experiences last for extended periods of time and typically begin to
clear after about 12 hours. The physical effects include dilated pupils,
higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating,
loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. Sensations may
seem to "cross over" for the user, giving the feeling of hearing
colors and seeing sounds. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces
delusions and visual hallucinations.(5)
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LSD
users often have flashbacks, during which certain aspects of their
LSD experience recur even though they have stopped taking the drug.
In addition, LSD users may develop long-lasting psychoses, such as
schizophrenia or severe depression. LSD is not considered an addictive
drug - that is, it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior
as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine do. However, LSD users may
develop tolerance to the drug, meaning that they must consume progressively
larger doses of the drug in order to continue to experience the hallucinogenic
effects that they seek.(6)
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LSD
trafficking and abuse have decreased sharply since 2000, and a resurgence
does not appear likely in the near term. National-level
data regarding LSD availability (such as LSD seizures and LSD-related
arrests) show a sharp decrease since 2000. LSD seizures, for example,
decreased 100 percent from 2000 through 2005, and LSD-related arrests
decreased 84.9 percent from 2000 through 2004 (see 2006 National Drug
Threat Assessment Appendix B, Table
4 and Table 5). Demand
for LSD also has decreased sharply since 2000, as reflected in national-level
prevalence studies. In fact, Monitoring
the Future (MTF) and National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
data show that rates of past year use for LSD have decreased significantly
for nearly every sampled age group (see 2006 National Drug Threat Assessment
Appendix B, Table
1 and Table
2). Production of the drug also appears to be limited--with no reported
laboratory seizures in 2004--and controlled by a relatively small number
of experienced chemists. Moreover, LSD distribution appears to be very
limited in most areas of the country. As such, resurgence in widespread
LSD distribution is unlikely in the near term.(7)
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LSD
is abused by teenagers and young adults in connection with raves, nightclubs
and concert settings.(8)
Approximately
1.9% of eighth graders, 2.5% of tenth graders, and 3.5% of twelfth
graders surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring
the Future study reported lifetime use of LSD. Approximately 44%
of eighth graders, 60.8% of tenth graders, and 69.9% of twelfth graders
surveyed in 2005 reported that taking LSD regularly was a "great risk." Additional
survey results indicate that 5.6% of college students and 13.4% of young
adults reported lifetime use of LSD.(9)
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On March 31, 2003,
William Leonard Pickard and Clyde Apperson were found guilty of one
count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 10 grams
of LSD from August 1999 to November 2000 and one count of possession
with the intent to distribute more than 10 grams of LSD on November
6, 2000. The case involving these two individuals included the largest
LSD lab seizure ever made by the DEA. Agents seized 41.3 kilograms
of LSD and 23.6 kilograms of iso-LSD, a by-product from the manufacture
of LSD. In the history of the DEA, there have only been 4 seizures
of complete LSD labs. Three of these seizures involved Pickard and
Apperson.(10) Click here for more information on this story.
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1. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research
Report: Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, March 2001
2. National Institute on Drug Abuse, InfoFacts:
LSD, February 2005
3. National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), LSD
Fast Facts, May 2003
4. DEA Office of Diversion Control, d-Lysergic
Acid Diethylamide
5. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research
Report: Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs, March 2001
6. NDIC, LSD
Fast Facts, May 2003
7. NDIC, National Drug Threat Assessment 2006
8. DEA Office of Diversion Control, d-Lysergic
Acid Diethylamide
9. National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring
the Future 2005 Data From In-School Surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-Grade
Students, December 2005
10. Drug Enforcement Administration, Press
Release "Pickard and Apperson
Convicted of LSD Charges: Largest LSD Lab Seizure in DEA History," March
31, 2003
Last updated: August 2006
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