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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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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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
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