The Mysterious LSD Essay - 2651 Words

Since the 1930’s lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as the hallucinogen LSD, has been a topic of controversy and mystery. The components of LSD are lysergic acid and diethylamide. As part of the ergoline family, LSD is often classified as a synthetic drug because it is produced only in a laboratory (Petechuk 10). Users of LSD are people from solid middle- and upper-class backgrounds. They have many opportunities to pursue higher education and to have successful careers (Petechuk 9). To most, this statistic would seem unusual, but LSD is notorious for giving keen insights to life, which is the main interest for its atypical consumers. Another attraction of the drug is its lack of addictive properties. Addiction is a recurrence for†¦show more content†¦Dr. Hofmann recorded his accidental high and said, At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination in a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found daylight to be glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away. (quoted in Petechuk 13) Three days later, Hofmann decided to test out his research again. He took 0.25 milligrams of LSD, this time on purpose. This is a very small dose in comparison to the dosages required for other drugs. After taking the LSD, Hofmann experienced unusual sensory experiences, not all of them were pleasant. He then knew that this drug was very powerful (Petechuk 13). â€Å"Between the second World War, when Dr. Albert Hofmann accidentally got high with his invention of LSD, and in the late ’60s there were thousands of studies conducted by medical and psychiatric researchers looking int o the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs† (Antonia). Hofmann’s experiments had opened the minds of many scientists, making them curious as to what LSD could potentially have in store for the future of medicine. â€Å"The extraordinary mental effects of LSD described in 1943 by Hofmann prompted hope in the following two decades that a powerful therapeutic tool was atShow MoreRelatedTeenagers, Drugs , and Peer Pressure Essay1277 Words   |  6 Pagesdrug is LSD , which is a little similar to E. It alters a persons perception of sights, sounds, and touch etc, a person that has taken LSD might see or hear things that dont exist. 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The danger of LSD is that the effect of LSD is extremely unpredictable since