Lysergic acid diethylamide

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LSD is the shorter name for an illegal drug called Lysergic acid diethylamide. LSD is often called by the slang name acid. LSD is a psychedelic drug which causes people who take it to have hallucinations.

A person taking LSD only takes a very small amount, smaller than a grain of sand. LSD is one of the strongest drugs. When a person takes LSD, their senses, emotions, memories, time, and awareness are all changed for 6 to 14 hours. People often have see hallucinations of colorful patterns and illusions. Some people who take LSD get scared and feel very afraid. This is called having a "bad trip."

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[edit] History

LSD was invented in 1938 by a Swiss chemist named Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland. Dr. Hofmann was trying to find new drugs. LSD is made in a laboratory by chemists.

LSD first became popular in the 1960s, when Harvard psychology professor called Dr. Timothy Leary began encouraging people to try LSD. Leary eventually became part of the 1960s countercultural hippie movement. LSD was banned (made against the law) in the United States in 1967.

[edit] Dangers of using LSD

People cannot die from overdosing on LSD unless they took several thousand doses at once. The most common danger of taking LSD is having a bad experience, which is called a "bad trip." During a "bad trip," a person may feel very scared and worried, and they may have very sad thoughts.

Many illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine are very addictive. This means that once a person starts taking the drug, they will want to keep taking it, even if it is making them sick (ill). LSD is not addictive. However, some people who use LSD regularly may feel that they want to keep using it.

Another danger from using LSD is that it makes a person impaired (intoxicated). When a person is impaired, they may have an accident or do things that they would not normally do. In some rare cases, people taking LSD develop a psychosis.

The four possible isomers (forms) of LSD. Only LSD is psychoactive, meaning it makes people think differently.
The four possible isomers (forms) of LSD. Only LSD is psychoactive, meaning it makes people think differently.

[edit] Legal status

LSD is illegal in the United States, Australia, and most of Europe. Some countries enforce the laws against LSD very harshly. Other countries do not enforce the law very much. LSD has been manufactured illegally since the 1960s.

[edit] Media

[edit] Video

[edit] Academic

LSD Psychotherapy - by Stanislav Grof (April 10, 2001)

Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond by Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain

[edit] Urban legends

[edit] General

[edit] Chemical