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LSD

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, known as “Acid”, is perhaps the most well known of the hallucinogenic drugs. It is a synthetically produced liquid. The liquid can be dropped into a beverage, spread over a cigarette or used to moisten a sugar cube.

For street sales, LSD is commonly dropped onto a small square of paper called “blotter paper”. The blotter paper is perforated into sections about 1/2 centimeter in size. A single drop of the drug is enough to produce very powerful effects for the user. LSD is also sold in a powder form, or it can be packaged in capsules.

• D.E.A. Classification: Schedule I
• Drug Category: Hallucinogen
• Availability: Moderate Availability
• Cost per dose: $3 to $10 per dose
• M.T.F. Report: 4.0% of High School Seniors Had Experience with LSD in 2008
• Geographic Predominance: Omnipresent
• Method of Ingestion: Taken as pill
• D.A.W.N. Report: 3,287 Emergency Room Visits in 2008
• Duration of High: 12 hours
• Detectable in Urine: 1 to 5 days

Discovered in 1938, a single dose of this drug can last for up to 12 hours. One of the notable side effects of LSD is that the user can experience sudden and unexpected flash backs for months into the future. This can be debilitating. In the clinical world, it is known as Hallucinogen Induced Persisting Perceptual Disorder (HPPD). Getting high on LSD is also thought to be a bit of a risky endeavor for recreational drug users. The vivid hallucinations can either be pleasurable, or terrifying. “Bad Trips”, can be extraordinarily traumatic for some people.

Signs of LSD Use include an elevated pulse, blood pressure and body temperature. Pupils will be dilated. There are oftentimes noticeable distortions in thought processes and physical perceptions. Time, in particular, can become greatly distorted while under the influence of these drugs. Psychological effects can range from extreme pleasure to profound paranoia. Please refer to the Diagnosing Drug Use page for more information on this topic.

LSD Paraphernalia includes vibrant lights, visual art and fragrances that are used to exaggerate the psychedelic effects of the drug. In some cases, masks or respirators are used to concentrate things like Vicks Vapor Rub for inhalation. Blotter paper is often contained in small plastic baggies or wrapped in tin foil. Tweezers are used to separate sections of blotter paper. Be careful when handling suspected LSD, it is absorbed through the skin!

Preventing LSD Use can be pursued using the guidelines discussed in the Preventing Drug Use pages. Particular to LSD are the dangers of HPPD, discussed above, and the potentiality of having a “Bad Trip”. Many users consider these experiences to be life altering, in a very bad way.