LSD

"I went to a school party of one of my friends where fruit punch was available. After I had two glasses of the punch I started feeling funny. Everything around me changed into different colours and for hours I could not remember what I did" - School pupil

"A known drug detective had during the confiscations of LSD, touched the blotting paper that contains LSD quite a lot, the substance stuck to his hands and when he ate chips he became drugged because of the LSD."

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) (popular street name "Acid") - is the strongest and most popular hallucinogenic substance known.

LSD can be administered to a person or persons without their knowledge, especially by mixing it with liquids and food. This can be life threatening as a person unknowingly and unprepared therefore, starts hallucinating. The "trip" depends on a person's state of mind and it has happened, especially with minors, that it has caused permanent psychological damage after taking it unknowingly. The main danger of LSD is the inability to make decisions that usually leads to impulsive and irrational behaviour that can cause injuries or death.

WHAT IS LSD?

LSD is a synthetic drug that is odourless, colourless and tasteless.

LSD is found in different forms, but the most general and popular way of marketing and packaging LSD is still the blotting paper. This blotting paper is dipped in the LSD solution, dried and perforated in blocks of 1cm x 1cm that represents one LSD unit. LSD is also found in the form of gelatine, which is known as "Window panes" and small tablets known as "Microdots". When this LSD unit is placed in the mouth, the person will go on a LSD "trip".

Drug smugglers print pictures on these LSD units to make the drug more attractive and interesting for the LSD users. LSD is classified by the drug users by the motive that is printed on the LSD unit, according to them some of the "pictures" are stronger and have a better effect than other.

Popular pictures are:
  • Superman
  • Smiley Faces
  • Smiley
  • Ying Yang
  • Eight Ball
  • Pig
  • Magic Mushroom
  • Garfield
  • Ohms
  • Bart Simpson

For more examples of LSD go to the Photo Library

A concerned person must however not be blinded by the picture on the front of this blotting paper, but must rather concentrate on perforation marks on the back thereof which is characteristic to LSD.

METHOD OF USE AND SIDE EFFECTS OF LSD

LSD is generally used by placing the blotting paper, which contains LSD, under the tongue where the lysergic acid is released by means of saliva. The other popular method is by placing it in a drink or any other liquid that makes the release thereof easier.

After about 15 to 30 minutes the person will go on a "trip", and such a "trip" can last up to anything from 8 to 12 hours. LSD users say that the psychedelic trip is the most common, a user's whole surrounding will change into different colours as if he is walking inside a rainbow.

LSD can cause a good or bad trip, therefore people are hesitant to experiment with LSD. There is no assurance that the user will enjoy the trip. The LSD user's state of mind normally determines on what trip he or she will go.

A user quickly develops a tolerance against the use of LSD. This causes the LSD user not to use LSD every day, but he will let a few days pass before using LSD again to obtain the maximum advantage of the drug. (During the LSD free period the addict will use other drugs)

"GOOD TRIP"

During an interview between a SANAB member and a schoolgirl that uses LSD:

"When I have a good trip in a Rave Club with the beat of the music and I close my eyes, it is as if different coloured lights come to me and move through my head."

People that have good trips usually experience something that they have always desired, such as:

  • to be able to fly
  • to walk on water
  • to be very strong (Superman)

"BAD TRIP"

During an interview between a SANAB member and a juvenile :

"During a trip I found chopped off heads of babies in the toilet that were laughing at me, I later found spiders and insects that were in my bed and crawling over me".

Some of the users become paranoid during a bad trip, because it feels as if the "trip" and the "bad feeling" do not want to end, this causes permanent psychological damage and can lead to suicide. A person usually effected by a bad trip, is someone that :

  • is very anxious
  • has various phobias
  • is suicidal
  • is spiritually immature
  • has family problems
  • has a history of drug abuse
  • mixes different drugs with LSD

A LSD user that has a bad trip, has such a bad experience, that he will never touch LSD again, but will rather experiment with other drugs.

Abovementioned facts clearly state the danger of LSD. Therefore the unknown intake of LSD, at especially school parties, can be very dangerous because the person cannot determine on what kind of trip he or she will go.

SIDE EFFECTS OF LSD

The most common side effect of a person using LSD is a change in personality. There are cases where persons suffered from severe paranoia as well as psychological deflection. It is therefore very dangerous to experiment with this drug. It also has a high level of dependency and a low level of tolerance, which means that a person can very easily become addicted to LSD. This undoubtedly leads to the use of more serious drugs, because LSD has a low form of stimulation. It is also known that people that experiment with LSD usually use Ecstasy with it and this leads to the use of Cocaine.

LSD also has the side effect of staying in the body for a very long period. This can cause a person to go on a LSD trip again when it is later released in the bloodstream. This is known as a "Flashback". According to records a flashback is always a reminder of a "bad trip".

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE USE OF LSD
  • shakiness
  • enlarged pupils
  • nausea
  • paranoia
  • mood swings
  • anxiety attacks
  • syntheses

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
  • tinfoil in which LSD is wrapped to keep it fresh
  • plastic covering from cigarette packets
  • pieces of "gladwrap"

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

LSD is surely the drug of the past decades that has taken on the imagination of people in drug cults, writers and even pshycologists.

It is a hallucinogenic substance that causes physical and psychological dependency for the users thereof. This substance was very popular in the 60's during the "Hippie" era.

Psychologists such as the American Timothy Leary openly experimented with LSD. Cult groups originated around this drug and this substance's doubtful advantages was praised in many a song during this period.

Some of the well-known songs were "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" by the Beatles and "Purple Haze" and "Are you experienced" by Jimmy Hendrix.

LSD was discovered for the first time in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman was experimenting on a fungus, known as Argot, which is found on rye-grass. Dr. Hoffman wanted to use LSD as a medical cure for respiratory and systemic circulation sickness. In 1943 Dr. Hoffman went on a LSD trip by accident when he consumed LSD that he was synthesizing.

During the 1940's and the mid 70's LSD was used on an experimental basis to established if it would help with the cure for certain mental illnesses. It was however found that LSD had serious side effects on certain persons, especially persons that suffered from cases of schizophrenia. LSD was used on various occasions by the USA Army as a chemical assault method.

LSD was synthetically synthesized, or imitated, since the early 60's and marketed illegally in the world.

In the 70's and 80's the "Punk" culture took over from the "Hippie" culture and the use of LSD continued. In the early 90's the so called "Rave Scene" made its appearance on the South African scene and the use of LSD still continues.
PRICE : R40 - R80 per unit

Read more about the following drugs...
Dagga | Mandrax | LSD | XTC | Cocaine | Heroin | Rohypnol | Welcanol | Pethadine

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