Name
Block
Robert Nicol
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Anti-drug Campaign
Research Notes
Name of Drug
LSD
Sub-topic
a) Common Street
Names
Key facts (point form – one key fact per bullet)
 LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is also known as
More than eighty street names, including acid, backbreaker, battery acid, blotter,
boomers, brown acid, contact lenses, doses, dots, electric Kool-Aid, Looney tunes,
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, microdots, panes, purple haze, sunshine,
windowpanes, yellow sunshine, Zen
b) How the Drug is
Used and Taken
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c) Psychological
Effects
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d) Short Term
Physiological
Effects
e) Adverse and/or
Long Term Health
Effects
LSD is usually taken by mouth by licking it in its liquid form of swallowed
in tablet form
In liquid form it can be licked off of any surface. Examples include- books
and postage stamps.
Prevents the reuptake of serotonin
The nerves in the brain become confused without a supply of this neurotransmitter and send out false signals that result in an LSD trip. A trip is an
intense and very visual experience that occurs after taking the drug.
Some people may hear sounds or noises that are not really there, while
visual hallucinations may cause normal objects to be distorted or changed
into frightening doppelgangers. Others may experience a slowing of time,
or have out-of-body experiences, while other may feel as though they have
achieved a higher level of understanding, while bad trips may make people
feel intense fear, sadness and anxiety
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
Nausea, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure.
numbness, tremors and nausea/vomiting

a growing tolerance to the drug, which disappears quickly after use of the
drug is stopped;
flashbacks (that is, short-lived, intense re-experiences of part of a previous
trip) which can occur days or even months after the last dose has been
taken, leading to disorientation, anxiety and distress; and
Prolonged anxiety and depression after use of the drug is stopped.
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f) Possibility of
Physiological and
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 LSD has zero physical addiction potential. It is not physically addictive and
it is not a drug that you will want to immediately do again. This is not the
type of drug where a user experiences withdrawal if another dose isn't
ingested within a relatively short period of time.
 However, as with many drugs, users can (and do) become psychologically
dependent on LSD. Its pyrotechnic effects and dazzling high can become
a distraction, perhaps even an escape from reality for some people. It can
become very hard to function in "consensus reality" if you are taking
LSD on a regular basis
Psychological
Dependency
g) Overdose
Complications and
Possibility of
Fatality
h) Statistics
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There have been no recorded deaths from an overdose on LSD
Possible to harm yourself because of irrational thoughts that may arise from
using the drug.
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LSD abuse has been declining steadily since 2002. After a brief resurgence
in the 1990s, the use of LSD appears to be dropping. LSD statistics show
that high school students report an especially low use of LSD. Only 3.5
percent of high school seniors report using LSD at least once in their
lifetime. The numbers go down for 8th graders and 10th graders (1.9
percent and 2.5 percent, respectively). These LSD facts indicate that LSD is
either not widely available, or that teenagers consider it dangerous.
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i) Other Facts
Discovered
C
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LSD statistics show that the rate of LSD abuse is a little higher in the age
group of 18 to 25 year olds. Indeed, this is the age group that sees the
largest amount of LSD use. The NSDUH reports that 12.1 percent of young
adults in the 18 to 25 age group have tried LSD once in their lifetime.
However, this is down from 15.9 percent in 2002. So, these LSD facts show
that LSD use is declining in all age groups - at least in the short term.
Famous musicians such as The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix wrote songs about
their experiences while taking LSD, most famously Lucy in the sk with
Diamonds, and Purple Haze.
The CIA Operation MK-ULTRA, which was formed in the 1950s “to
investigate whether and how it was possible to modify an individual’s
behavior by covert means,” tested LSD on citizens and CIA operatives
without their knowledge or consent.
On November 16th, 1938, Albert Hofmann had been synthesizing lysergic
acid and mixing it with various compounds. When he got to the 25th
combination, lysergic acid mixed with diethylamide, he labeled it LSD-25
and shelved it for over 5 years.

Resources
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Name
Block
Robert Nicol
Book
LeVert, S. (2006). Drugs: The Facts about LSD and Other Hallucinogens. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall
Cavendish.
Kasschau, R. (1995) Understanding Psychology: NY, NY: McGraw Hill.
Online Encyclopedia
Ed. Barbara C. Bigelow (2006) UXL Encyclopedia of Drugs and Addictive Substances
Detroit: UXL, 2006. P473-490.
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