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INSIDE LSD
LSD’s inventor Albert Hofmann called it "medicine for the soul." The Beatles wrote songs about it. Secret military mind control experiments exploited its hallucinogenic powers. Outlawed in 1966, LSD became a street drug and developed a reputation as the dangerous toy of the counterculture, capable of inspiring either moments of genius, or a descent into madness. Now science is taking a fresh look at LSD, including the first human trials in over 35 years. Can it possibly enhance our brain power, expand our creativity, or cure diseases?
Albert Hofmann created LSD while mixing lysergic acid with diethylamide. He labeled and shelved this 25th combination of his, LSD-25, for over 5 years.
By accident, Hofmann absorbed a small amount of LSD-25 through his skin and reported seeing “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscope-like play of colors.” Many consider this two-hour experience of Hofmann’s to be the world’s first LSD trip.
Lysergic acid is derived from ergot, a grain fungus that grows on rye. Ergot is known for causing the “St. Anthony’s Fire” disease and is also an ingredient used in medicine for aiding childbirth.
Canadian psychiatrists used LSD to treat alcoholics in the 1950s claiming a recovery rate of 50%. One of the psychologists stated that LSD “aided man in seeing himself, his values and his behavior in new perspective; in freeing himself from disadvantageous patterns of thought and action.”
CIA Operation MK-ULTRA was formed in the 1950s to investigate the ability to modify an individual’s behavior covertly. Without their knowledge or having given consent, citizens and CIA operatives were tested with LSD.
LSD is odorless and colorless.
Timothy Leary formed the League for Spiritual Discovery in 1966, which promoted a slogan of “tune in, turn on, drop out.”
As part of the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, LSD was classified as a Schedule 1 drug with no medical value. There were no human studies involving psychedelic drugs between the years of 1972 and 1990.
In 1990, the FDA began researching possible psychedelics use for treating cluster headaches, depression, obsessive compulsion disorder, server anxiety in cancer patients, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, and addiction.
HARD AND SOFT DRUGS
Drugs are used for both medical treatment and for recreation, due to their euphoric and other mind-altering effects. Well known hard drugs include heroin, cocaine, morphine, alcohol, barbiturates, amphetamines, and nicotine, while soft drugs include caffeine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, and even LSD.
Soft drugs are less inhibiting and addicting than hard drugs, often being defined as causing psychological, but not physical addiction. Hard drugs are often defined as being both physically and psychologically addictive, while also posing serious risks to users. These drugs can easily be overdosed and can also cause significant harm to a user’s health, sometimes even leading to death.
Many criticize the deciphering between hard and soft drugs, arguing that defining a drug as soft takes away from highlighting dangers of drug use. Others argue that since some hard drugs are legal in the U.S., such as alcohol and nicotine, while others are prescribed legally by doctors, users fail to question the effects of those drugs. Take an in-depth look into the effects of several hard and soft drugs and compare their traits to those of LSD.
Hard Drugs
Alcohol
Common names: liquor, beer, alcohol
How it works: depressing the brain and slowing down its ability to control the body and the mind by slowing down muscle coordination, reflexes, movement, and speech
Method used: drank as liquid
Recreational uses: sedation and relaxation
Effects: impaired judgment and coordination, blackouts, aggression, double vision, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, vomiting, hangovers (characterized by headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue)
Possible long-tem effects: permanent damage to vital organs, cancer, ulcers, malnutrition, sexual dysfunctions, high blood pressure, lowered resistance to disease, withdrawal symptoms
Physically addictive: yes
Amphetamines
Prescription names: Speed, Ritalin, Adderall, Methamphetamine
Common names: kiddy cocaine, crystal meth, dexies, speed, uppers
Usage method: taken orally in pill or capsule form, injected, snorted, smoked, rubbed on the gums, dissolved in liquid
Used to treat: chronic sleepiness, short attention span and over activity, obesity, mild depression
Recreational uses: mood elevation, general sense of well-being, weight loss
How it works: stimulation of the central nervous system
Effects: increased heart rate and blood pressure, reduced appetite, dilation of the pupils, feelings of happiness and power, reduced fatigue, tense jaw, teeth grinding
Possible long-tem effects: insomnia, restlessness, paranoid psychosis, hallucinations, violent and aggressive behavior, weight loss, tremors
Physically addictive: yes
Barbiturates
Prescription names: Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal
Common names: barbs, block busters, red devils, reds & blues, yellow jackets
Usage method: swallowed or injected
How it works: impairment of biochemical reactions, which provides energy and depression of selected areas of the brain
Used to: sedate, control convulsions, or to induce sleep
Recreational uses: euphoria and relaxation, sometimes used in combination with stimulants like cocaine, amphetamines, and crystal meth.
Effects: slurred speech, shallow breathing, fatigue, disorientation, lack of coordination, dilated pupils, mild euphoria, relief of anxiety and sleepiness, impairment of memory, irritability, paranoia, suicidal ideation
Possible long-tem effects: chronic tiredness, inability to coordinate, vision problems, dizziness, slowed reflexes and response, sexual dysfunction, menstrual irregularities, breathing disorders
Physically addictive: yes
Cocaine
Common names: crack, coke, super-speed
Usage method: sniffed, snorted, injected, or smoked
How it works: blocks the removal of dopamine from the synapse, stimulating euphoria
Recreational uses: euphoria
Effects: increased energy, alertness, euphoria, self-confidence, increased heart beat, hallucinations, unclear speech, confused thinking, short temper, tension, irritability, insomnia, dilated pupils, nausea, convulsions, vomiting
Possible long-tem effects: high blood pressure and pulse, increased risk for seizures, strokes, heart attacks
Physically addictive: yes
Nicotine
Common products: cigarettes, dip, cigars, hookah tobacco
Street names: smokes, cigs, chew, spit tobacco, and snuff
Usage method: smoked, absorbed through patches, gum, nasal spray
How it works: through delivering nicotine to the brain, neurons are stimulated to release unusually large amounts of dopamine, stimulating and a sedating to the central nervous system
Recreational use: stimulant and sedation
Effects: raises heart rate and respiration rate, increases the amount of glucose released into the blood
Possible long-tem effects: addiction, lung and other cancers, bronchitis, emphysema, exacerbate asthma, the risk of heart disease, earlier menopause, reduction of sense of smell
Physically addictive: yes
Opiates
Prescription names: opium, codeine, morphine, heroin, fentanyl, and OxyContin
Street names: China white, laudanum, paregoric, big O, and hop
Usage method: taken orally, injection, sniffing, and smoking
Uses: alleviate severe and moderate pain, often before or after surgery, relieve coughs and diarrhea
Recreational uses: achieve a high or rush resulting in sedation and euphoria
How it works: attaches to specific proteins called opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract, blocking the transmission of pain messages to the brain
Effects: sedation, euphoria, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, extreme irritability, depression, tremors, sleeplessness, flu-like symptoms, dry mouth, pupil constriction, itching, hallucination, sweating, muscle and bone pain, confusion, muscle spasms
Possible long-tem effects: severe addiction, stools can become rock hard, infectious disease and Hepatitis B (from dirty needles), collapsed veins, abscesses, infection of the valves, arthritis
Physically addictive: yes
Soft Drugs
LSD
Street names: acid, Bart Simpson, microdots, boomers, and yellow sunshine
Usage method: often packaged in small bottles or applied to blotter paper, sugar cubes, gelatin squares, or tablets
Recreational uses: produces delusions and visual hallucinations that distort the user's sense of time and identity
How it works: binds to serotonin receptors in the brain, causing changes in the sensory pathways of the brain
Effects: hallucinations, distortion of time and space, pleasant feelings and thoughts or paranoia, panic, and agitation, subtle changes in body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, sweating, chills, headache, nausea
Possible long-tem effects: random flashbacks, may develop long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression
Physically addictive: no
Marijuana
Prescription names: medical cannabis
Street names: weed, hash, pot, refer, Mary Jane, chronic, and ganja
Usage method: smoked, baked, and brewed
Uses: alleviate nausea, treat glaucoma, potential role to modify autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, reduce spread of cancer cells
Recreational uses: elevation of mood, relaxation, euphoria, hallucinations
How it works: affects the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed
Effects: mild euphoria and relaxation, impaired motor control and memory, higher blood pressure and pulse, increased appetite, dry mouth, dizziness, sometimes panic and paranoia
Possible long-tem effects: reduced ability to fight infection, increased risk of developing mental illnesses, increased chance of heart attack, changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine, daily cough and phlegm production, heightened risk of lung infections
Physically addictive: no
Caffeine
Common products: soda, energy drinks, energy shots, food
Usage method: drank or eaten
Uses: increase energy, reduce fatigue
How it works: binds to the adenosine receptors of brain, causing cell activity to increase and the blood vessels in the brain to constrict, causing heart rate to increase and the liver to release more sugar into the blood
Effects: increased energy, jitteriness, abnormally rapid heartbeat, convulsions, increased urination, delirium, headache, insomnia
Possible long-tem effects: increased body level of cortisol, which can lead to rapid weight gain, irritability, heart disease, diabetes
Physically addictive: yes
Psilocybin mushrooms
Common names: shrooms, magic mushrooms
Usage method: eaten or brewed
Recreational uses: relaxation and psychological reflection
How it works: psilocin is absorbed into the blood stream where it is taken to the brain, causing mortification of the brain’s control over sleep, appetite, sensory perception, temperature regulation, pain suppression
Effects: increase emotional awareness, reduction of psychological confusion, confusion, panic, stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, even death
Possible long-tem effects: triggered underlying mental disorders and schizophrenic-type symptoms, recurring episodes of anxiety, panic months
Physically addictive: no
