Inside LSD Full Length Documentary
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as
lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug
of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which
can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals,
synaesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as
well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture. It is used mainly as
an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy.
LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has
extremely low toxicity relative to dose, although in rare cases adverse
psychiatric reactions such as anxiety or delusions are possible.[3]
LSD
was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine, a
chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot, a grain fungus that
typically grows on rye. The short form "LSD" comes from its early code
name LSD-25, which is an abbreviation for the German
"Lysergsäure-diethylamid" followed by a sequential number.[4][5] LSD is
sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in
solution, though its potency may last for years if it is stored away
from light and moisture at low temperature. In pure form it is a
colorless, odorless, and mildly bitter solid.[6] LSD is typically
delivered orally, usually on a substrate such as absorbent blotter
paper, a sugar cube, or gelatin. In its liquid form, it can also be
administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. LSD is very
potent, with 20--30 µg (micrograms) being the threshold dose.[7]
Introduced
by Sandoz Laboratories, with trade-name Delysid, as a drug with various
psychiatric uses in 1947, LSD quickly became a therapeutic agent that
appeared to show great promise.[8] In the 1950s the CIA thought it might
be applicable to mind control and chemical warfare; the agency's
MKULTRA research program propagated the drug among young servicemen and
students. The subsequent recreational use of the drug by youth culture
in the Western world during the 1960s led to a political firestorm that
resulted in its prohibition.[9] Currently, a number of
organizations—including the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, Heffter Research
Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundation—exist to fund, encourage and
coordinate research into the medicinal and spiritual uses of LSD and
related psychedelics.[10]
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