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Olivia Link

Professor Ibarra

HLTH 1050

30 September, 2017

LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), commonly known as acid is a hallucinogenic

drug. The drug is a man made drug that has been around since the 1930ss It is made

from lysergic acid, which is found in the ergot fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

Albert Hofmann, a chemist working for Sandoz Pharmaceutical, first made Lysergic acid

diethylamide for the first time in 1938 in Switzerland. He made it on accident while

looking for a blood stimulant, however the hallucinogenic effects were unknown until

1943 when he accidentally ingested some of his sample. (History)

LSD is first made into crystals and then made into a liquid to be distributed. It is

commonly sold as tablets or it is added to absorbent paper, known as a blotter, that has

some kind of design on it such as cartoon characters or smiley faces. It can also be

dropped onto sugar cubes where it can be digested and absorbed into the users skin.

There are several street forms of LSD which may contain different colors and flavors,

however, the drug itself is completely colorless and tasteless (Ibarra).

The user can experience a trip, which can usually last on average around 12

hours. The drug simulates serotonin and endorphins among other chemicals in the

brain, it also interferes with serotonin receptors. (Freeman). There are four distinctive

features of a trip they are: images seen with the eyes, intermingling of senses called
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synesthesia, perception of a multilevel reality, and feelings strange and exaggerated

configurations of common objects or experiences. (Ibarra)

Since 1975, the National Institute on Drug Abuse surveyed nearly 17,000 high

school to determine trends in drug use and to measure students attitudes and beliefs

about drug abuse. The percentage of senior who have tried LSD has been increasing

substantially since the beginning of the survey which the percentage was 7.2%,

however, in 1997 the percentage jumped to about 13.6% of seniors had used LSD at

least once in their lives. A study released in January 2008 found that about 3.1 million

people in the U.S. aged 12 to 25 said they had used LSD.

Some short terms health effects of LSD are, Rapid emotional swings; distortion

of a persons ability to recognize reality, think rationally raised blood pressure, heart

rate, body temperature; dizziness and insomnia (NIDA). However, the long term effects

are much more severe than these short term. The long term effects are, Frightening

flashbacks (called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder); ongoing visual

disturbances, disorganized thinking, paranoia, and mood swings (NIDA). These are just

some of the effects that we know of about LSD. There is still a lot to be known about

this drug, some of the effects we can only speculate. (Long Term)

During the Cold war In 1953 the United States CIA had a top-secret projected

titled MK-Ultra. They started this project because the U.S. feared that the Soviet Union,

Chinese and North Korea were using mind control on the U.S. prisoners of war in

Korea. The program involved more than 150 human experiments involving psychedelic

drugs, paralytics and electroshock therapy. Sometimes the test subjects knew they
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were participating in a study- but at other times, they had no idea, even when the

hallucinogens started taking effect. These type of experiments lasted until 1973,

however, the details of the experiments didnt become public until 1975. (MK-Ultra)

However, LSD is now considered a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled

Substances Act, which states that the drug has a high potential for abuse and serves no

legitimate medical purpose.

LSD is very present in the entertainment world. The Beatles were no strangers

to LSD. During a dinner party with some friends, John Lennon and George Harrison

were slipped LSD into their coffee by the dinner host. They were furious and ended up

driving to Georges house, where they both imagined they were on a massive yellow

submarine that filled the whole room. Thus making their revolutionary album Revolver.

Despite their previous feelings of the drug, Lennon and Harrison decided that it was

time to take the drug again, however, they encouraged Ringo and Paul to take the drug

with them. McCartney declined the offer Wed heard that youre never the same, he

said in Anthology. It alters your life and you never think the same again. John was

rather excited by the prospect. I was rather frightened by that prospect never get back

home again. I was seen to sort of stall because there was a lot of peer pressure. It is

safe to say that the drug completely changed the Beatles sound forever, and since the

Beatles changed music all over the world, therefore, LSD was had changed music

forever. (Gilmore)

William Leonard Pickard, who is also known as the Acid King. He was the

largest manufacturer of LSD in history, he is responsible for producing 90% of the

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worlds acid. Pickard manufactured LSD in an old, run down nuclear missile silo in

Kansas, which was bought by his partner, Gordon Todd Skinner. In 2003, Pickard was

busted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He is now serving two life

sentences at the U.S. Penitentiary at Tucson, Arizona (Sundeep).

Even though some say that LSD doesnt have any physically addictive

properties, however, psychological addiction to hallucinogens may occur.

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Works Cited

Abuse, National Institute on Drug. Hallucinogens. NIDA,

www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/hallucinogens. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017

Freeman, Shanna. How LSD Works. HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 10

Dec. 2008, science.howstuffworks.com/lsd4.htm. Accessed 18 Sept. 2017.

Gilmore, Mikal. Beatles' Acid Test: How LSD Opened the Door to 'Revolver'. Rolling

Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2016,

www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beatles-revolver-how-lsd-opened-the-door-to-

a-masterpiece-w436062.

Ibarra, Gustavo. LSD Presentation.

LSD Long Term Use and Effects. LSD Long Term Use and Effects - LSD Addiction,

www.lsdaddiction.us/content/lsd-long-term-use-and-effects.html. Accessed 18

Sept. 2017.

LSD: A Short History. Foundation for a Drug-Free World,

www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/lsd/a-short-history.html

MK-Ultra. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2017,

www.history.com/topics/history-of-mk-ultra

News from DEA, Domestic Field Divisions, San Franciso News Releases, 11/24/03,

www.dea.gov/pubs/states/newsrel/2003/sanfran112403.html. Accessed 19 Sept.

2017
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Sundeep, Shukla. 16 Interesting Facts About LSD. OhFact!, 14 July 2016,

ohfact.com/interesting-facts-about-lsd/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2017.