LSD (Iysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogen, a mood- altering drug that affects how you see things. Under LSD's influence, a person might think that he or she is seeing sounds or hearing colors. You may also Lose your senses of direction, distance, and time. Some people have scary thoughts and feelings of losing control, depression, insanity, and even dying. Flashbacks can happen too. That means reliving parts of a previous drug experience without taking the drug. Flashbacks can occur days and even months after taking the last dose.

STREET NAMES FOR LSD: Acid, Blotter Acid, Windowpane, and Microdots. Users refer to their experience with LSD as a "trip." Bad reactions to LSD cause "bad trips."

THE LOOK: LSD is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Most often, LSD is added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares. Each square represents one dose. LSD also comes in tablet, capsule, and liquid form.

LSD IS PRODUCED: in illegal laboratories found mostly in the West Coast of the United States. Major distribution of LSD comes from San Francisco, California. It is manufactured from Iysergic acid, which is found in a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. Although the doses today are weaker than was common in the 1960's and 1970's, many users just take several at once.

LSD USE: LSD is usually taken orally, and the user starts feeling the effect within 30 to 90 minutes. Effects can last up to 12 hours.

LSD IS ILLEGAL: in all states, and if you are caught with any amount of LSD, you could spend time in jail.

I learned that the effects of LSD can last for 12 hours - do you really want to lose control of your body and mind for that long?

Taking LSD is a real gamble. You never know when you're going to have a good or bad trip, whether you will see strawberries in the sky or whether devils will chase you down. Is this a game worth playing?

• Depression, anxiety, fear, and panic.
• Behavior that makes you think you can fly off buildings or walk in front of cars without getting hurt.
• Feeling isolated and alone.
• Rapid mood swings - laughing one minute and crying the next.

• Lack of muscular coordination.
• Incoherent speech.
• How you perceive yourself and your surroundings are altered drastically.
• Its effects are unpredictable. They depend on how much is taken, your mood, your personality, and your expectations.