Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Aubrey Figoras
Also Known As:
- LSD
- Acid
- Blotter Acid
- Window Pane
- Dots
- Mellow Yellow
LDS is a hallucinogen made from lysergic acid, which comes from ergot, a fungus that grows on rye. It was discovered and synthesized for the the first time in 1938, by Albert Hofmann. However, the effects of the drug as a hallucinogen weren't discovered until Hofmann accidently consumed the drug. It was later recognized that when taken in a dose of 25 mg, LSD will produce vivid hallucinations. LSD is sold in tablets, capsules, and liquid, and is taken orally. It currently has no legit medical use in the U.S., and while the drug itself is not addictive, it often produces intense bliss that causes the user to feel the urge to keep using it.
Effects:
LSD causes the user to experience a "trip." Trips can last up to 12 hours, and cuases sensations and feelings to change more dramatically. When taken in large enough doses, the user can experience:
- delusions and hallucinations
- dialated pupils
- elevated body temperature
- increased heart rate
- profuse sweating
- loss of appetite
- sleeplessness
- dry mouth
- tremors
- mood swings
- cross over of the senses (smelling sounds, hearing colors)
- impaired judgement
As people use the drug more and more, they can build a tolerance to it, resulting in the need to take more in order to feel the effects. Users may also experience long term effects, such as:
- flashbacks of previous trips without warnings
- long-lasting psychoses
- severe depression
In a recent survey, researchers found:
- 12.1% of people aged 18-25 report using LSD at least one
- 3.5% of highschool seniors report using LSD at least once
- 2.5% of 10th graders report using LDS at least once
- 1.9% of 8th graders report using LSD at least once
Everyone is familiar with the Salem Witch Trials back in 1693. But historians now theorize that Ergot Poisoning was the cause for the "mass hysteria." Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and other grains that would have been grown on the Salem settlement. Lysergic acid, a chemical from which LSD is made, comes from ergot. The poison in ergot causes symptoms similar to those produced by LSD, which is reason to believe the entire town of Salem may have just been on a "bad trip."
LSD is an illegal class drug, so the best thing to do is to stay away from it. Avoid using the drug, even if anyone offers it to you. Luckily, this drug isn't as popular as others nowadays, but just be careful.