LSD

Description

LSD is a powerful psychedelic drug, well known for its psychedelic effects which can include synaesthesia, a blending of the senses, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, altered cognitive processes, distorted visuals as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture.

Pharmacology

LSD is a non-selective serotonin receptor modulator. This includes potent serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor activation, thought to be primarily responsible for its psychedelic effects. However, its activation of other serotonin receptors may modulate its subjective effects, alongside its dopamine receptor affinities – unique among serotonergic psychedelics.

LSD is one of the most potent psychedelics in humans, with typical doses of 30–70 µg. Its oral bioavailability is around 80%, takes an average of 1.5 hours to reach its peak blood concentration after consumption, and has a half life of around 3–5 hours. That said, LSD gets temporarily ‘trapped’ inside the serotonin receptor. While LSD in the bloodstream gets quickly broken down by CYP450 liver enzymes, plenty of LSD continues to activate the psychedelia-inducing brain receptors making ‘trips’ last typically between 6 and 12 hours, depending on dose, tolerance and age. In individuals who are CYP2D6 poor metabolisers, or people taking CYP2D6 inhibitors, LSD’s half life increases to around 8 hours.

Although LSD binds tightly to the 5-HT2A receptor, the maximum pharmacological effect it causes is lower than that for other similar drugs and once that maximum ‘ceiling’ is reached, further stimulation of these receptors is blocked. For this reason, LSD is described as a ‘strong partial agonist’ at the 5-HT2A receptor.

In contrast with other psychedelic drugs that bind to serotonin receptors, LSD also binds to, and stimulates many dopamine receptors. This binding is thought to stimulate some of the non-psychedelic effects of LSD.

Harm Reduction

• Set and setting: Psychedelic experiences are impacted by your baseline. Feeling anxious or down before taking a psychedelic, and taking it in an environment that feels overstimulating or unsafe, can increase the risk of a ‘bad trip’.
• Start low, go slow: Take a small amount and wait until you can feel the effects before taking more/anything else.
• Try not to use alone: If something goes wrong, someone is there to get help
• Be careful mixing: Mixing drugs can have unpredictable effects and may increase risks including overdose – avoid if you can, otherwise take less of each.
• Test your stuff: You can’t see by eye whether your blotter, pill or powder contains LSD or another drug. Find out how to send a sample to WEDINOS for testing here: https://www.wedinos.wales or pick up some test strips at our Harm Reduction Hub. Ehrlich reagent is particularly important when distinguishing between LSD and NBOMes, which can be further narrowed down with Froehde and Marquis Reagent.
• It’s possible to become psychologically dependent on psychedelics (feeling like you need them all the time). If you think this is happening, see your doctor as soon as possible.

History

LSD was first synthesised in the laboratory of Albert Hoffman in 1938 from the alkaloids found in the ergot fungus. However, its psychoactive properties were not fully appreciated until 1943, and it was marketed under the trade name ‘Delysid’ by Sandoz Laboratories in 1947 for use in treating psychiatric patients. LSD was one of the initial compounds placed under international control with the signing of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971, and subsequently it was scheduled in the UK under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

LSD has an interesting history and has had many noted advocates for its ability to provoke the ‘big’ philosophical questions, such as the meaning of life, sex (although LSD is not noted for its aphrodisiac qualities) and mortality; these are often the genesis of a bad ‘trip’. Beginning in the 1950s, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began a research programme code-named Project MK-ULTRA. Experiments included administering LSD to CIA employees, military personnel, people at both ends of the intelligence and social spectrum, and random members of the general public in order to study their reactions, often without the subject's knowledge. The project was revealed in a US congressional report in 1975, after much speculation about its existence, design and purpose.

LSD began to become popular recreationally in the US in the 1960s. The increase in its use coincided with the rise of the psychedelic/hippy movement, to whose devotees it was considered to be mind-expanding. This trend soon caught on in the UK, and ‘acid trips’ have continued to have a place in certain sub-cultures (especially amongst ‘e’ generation clubbers, where it was known throughout the 1990s as ‘acc-eeid’) up to the present day where it remains popular in ‘club’ settings.

In the 21st century, LSD re-emerged as a substance of scientific interest. In the first clinical trial after its ban, Gasser and colleagues found that two sessions of LSD-assisted psychotherapy led to significant, sustained decreases in anxiety related to life-threatening diseases for 12 patients. In the 2020s, LSD-assisted psychotherapy underwent several clinical trials as a potential treatment for a range of mental health conditions including major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and alcohol use issues.

Law

• Class A
• Schedule 1

Possible offences

• Possession
  • Maximum sentence – 7 years/fine/both
• Possession With Intent To Supply
  • Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both
• Supply (including being concerned in supply, conspiracy to supply, aggravated supply and offer to supply)
  • Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both
• Production
  • Maximum sentence – life imprisonment, a fine, or both

In practice maximum sentences are rarely used, for more detailed and accurate information go to our sentencing page.