LSD

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a potent hallucinogen—that is, a drug that can alter a person's perception of reality and vividly distort the senses. LSD was originally derived from “ergot,” a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. Most LSD is produced in illegal laboratories, with only a very small amount legally manufactured for use in research.

Pure LSD is a white, crystalline powder that dissolves in water. It is odorless and has a slightly bitter taste. An effective dose of the pure drug is too small to see (20 to 80 micrograms). LSD is usually packaged in squares of LSD-soaked paper (“blotters”), miniature powder pellets (“microdots”) or gelatin chips (“window pane”). Blotters are sometimes printed with illustrations of cartoon characters.

Street names:  acid, blotter, microdot, window pane

Method of Use:  LSD is usually taken by mouth and held on the tongue or swallowed, but there have been reports of it being inhaled or injected.

Effects of Use:

• Numbness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Reduced coordination
• Nausea
• Tremor
• Weakness
• Feeling weighted down to feeling light and floating
• Depression and anxiety following a “bad trip”

Individual reactions to the drug can range from ecstasy to terror, even within a single drug-taking experience. People who have used the drug before, and had a positive experience, may have a negative experience if they take it again.

LSD affects your senses, mood, and thoughts and how you perceive yourself and the world around you. The drug can produce a wide spectrum of mental states, from a sense of joy, wonder and heightened sensitivity, to panic, confusion and anxiety. Thoughts may seem clear and profound or race rapidly without logic. Sense of time, distance and body image may be distorted. Boundaries between the self and the outside world may seem to dissolve. Some users report a fusion of the senses; for example, “seeing” music or “hearing” color.