DRCNet Response to the
Drug Enforcement Administration

DRCNet Response: For all those who wish a good background on the issues related to LSD, we recommend the following sources:

From the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs:

• Chapter 45 - Early use of LSD-like drugs

• Chapter 46 - LSD is discovered

• Chapter 47 - LSD and psychotherapy

• Chapter 48 - Hazards of LSD psychotherapy

• Chapter 49 - Early nontherapeutic use of LSD

• Chapter 50 - How LSD was popularized, 1962-1969

• Chapter 51 - How the hazards of LSD were augmented, 1962-1969

• Chapter 52 - LSD today: The search for a rational perspective

We also recommend the extensive resources in the Psychedelic Library.

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is the most potent and highly studied hallucinogen known to man. It was originally synthesized in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hoffman, but its hallucinogenic effects were unknown until 1943 when Hoffman accidently consumed some LSD. It was later found that an oral dose of as little as 0.025 mg (or 25 micrograms, equal to a few grains of salt) was capable of producing rich and vivid hallucinations.

Because of its structural similarity to a chemical present in the brain and its similarity in effects to certain aspects of psychosis, LSD was used as a research tool to study mental illness. Although there was a decline in its illicit use from its initial popularity in the 1960s, LSD is making a comeback in the 1990s. The average effective oral dose is from 20 to 80 micrograms with the effects of higher doses lasting for 10 to 12 hours. LSD is usually sold in the form of impregnated paper (blotter acid), tablets (microdots), or thin squares of gelatin (window panes).

Physical reactions may include dilated pupils, lowered body temperature, nausea, "goose bumps," profuse perspiration, increased blood sugar and rapid heart rate. During the first hour after ingestion, the user may experience visual changes with extreme changes in mood. In the hallucinatory state, the user may suffer impaired depth and time perception, accompanied by distorted perception of the size and shape of objects, movements, color, sound, touch and the user's own body image. During this period, the user's ability to perceive objects through the senses is distorted. He may describe "hearing colors" and "seeing sounds." The ability to make sensible judgements and see common dangers is impaired, making the user susceptible to personal injury. He may also injure others by attempting to drive a car or by operating machinery.

Afte an LSD "trip," the user may suffer acute anxiety or depression for a variable period of time. Flashbacks have been reported days or even months after taking the last dose.