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LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), a Schedule I drug under
the Controlled Substances Act, is a powerful hallucinogen that alters a
user's mood, thoughts, and perceptions and can induce delusions and visual
hallucinations that distort the user's sense of time and identity. Older
adolescents, particularly Caucasian males, are the predominant users of
LSD. LSD trafficking and abuse have long been a concern to law enforcement
and public health agencies because of the drug's powerful effects;
however, national-level data indicate that LSD availability is decreasing
and rates of use for LSD have decreased sharply to very low levels.
National-level drug prevalence studies indicate that past year rates of
LSD use are higher among twelfth grade students than any other age group.
Monitoring the Future (MTF) data for 2003 reveal that the rate of past
year use for LSD among twelfth graders (1.9%) was higher than rates of use
among eighth graders (1.3%), tenth graders (1.7%), college students
(1.4%), or young adults (1.2%).
MTF data reveal that past year rates of LSD use among males typically
are much higher than rates of use among females. MTF data reveal that the
past year LSD use rate among young adults was 2.2 percent for males and
1.3 percent for females and among college students was 2.8 percent for
males and 1.6 percent for females in 2002--the latest year for which such
data are available. MTF 2003 data indicate that among eighth graders, past
year rates of LSD use were 1.4 percent for males compared with 1.1 percent
for females. Among tenth graders, past year rates of LSD use were 1.9
percent and 1.6 percent for males and females, respectively. Among twelfth
graders, past year rates of LSD use were 2.5 percent for males versus 1.2
percent for females.
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) data indicate that Caucasian males
make up the predominant LSD user group entering hospital emergency
departments for LSD-induced symptoms. DAWN data for 2002, the most recent
year for which such data are available, reveal that 75.2 percent (670 of
891) of emergency department (ED) mentions for LSD were attributed to
Caucasian patients, and 87.1 percent (776 of 891) of LSD ED mentions were
attributed to male patients.
Data regarding past year rates of LSD use among college students, young
adults, and eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders indicate sharp decreases
since 1999, particularly among tenth and twelfth graders. (See
Table 1.)
Table 1. Percentage of Annual
LSD Use by Age Group, 1999-2003
| Age Group |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
| College Students |
5.4 |
4.3 |
4.0 |
2.1 |
1.4 |
| Young Adults |
4.0 |
3.7 |
3.4 |
1.8 |
1.2 |
| Eighth Graders |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.2 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
| Tenth Graders |
6.0 |
5.1 |
4.1 |
2.6 |
1.7 |
| Twelfth Graders |
8.1 |
6.6 |
6.6 |
3.5 |
1.9 |
Source: Monitoring the Future.
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LSD Use
LSD is taken orally and has a slightly bitter taste. Users apply
"hits" of liquid LSD to their tongues from small breath freshener
bottles or place gelatin squares, sugar cubes, or small pieces of
blotter paper that contain liquid LSD on their tongues. LSD also is
sometimes available in tablet form.
LSD users seek the drug's powerful hallucinogenic properties. The
effects associated with LSD use are unpredictable and depend upon
the amount taken, the surroundings in which the drug is used, and
the user's personality, mood, and expectations. According to the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the average effective oral
dose ranges from 20 to 80 micrograms. During the first hour after
ingestion, the user may experience visual changes and extreme
changes in mood. In the hallucinatory state, the user may suffer
impaired depth and time perception, accompanied by distorted
perception of the size and shape of objects, movements, color, and
sound. LSD is not considered an addictive drug; however, users may
develop a tolerance to the drug and must consume progressively
larger doses in order to experience the hallucinogenic effects.
Source: Drug Enforcement
Administration. |
DAWN data indicate that the number of ED mentions for LSD decreased as
the past year rates of LSD use decreased. DAWN data reveal that the
estimated number of ED mentions for LSD decreased sharply from 5,126 in
1999 to 2,821 in 2001, to 891 in 2002, the most recent year for which such
data are available.
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Anecdotal law enforcement reporting regarding LSD availability is
mixed. Reporting from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
indicates that LSD remains available to varying degrees in most
metropolitan areas and that availability is very limited in rural areas.
Only the DEA Denver Field Division and five High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs)--Gulf Coast, Houston, Midwest, North Texas, and
South Texas--report increasing LSD availability in their areas. Four DEA
Field Divisions--Newark, New York, Seattle, and St. Louis--and four HIDTAs--Nevada,
New England, Philadelphia/Camden, and Southeast Michigan--report limited
availability.
Notwithstanding the somewhat mixed anecdotal reporting from law
enforcement agencies regarding LSD availability, the National Drug
Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2004 data
indicate low and decreasing LSD availability. NDTS 2004 data reveal that
17 percent of state and local law enforcement respondents nationwide
describe LSD availability as high or moderate, a slight decrease from 18.9
in 2003. Most state and local respondents (66.1%) report low availability
in 2004, nearly unchanged from 66 percent in 2003. Moreover, 13.8 percent
of respondents report that the drug is not available in their areas, up
from 11.9 percent in 2003.
Consistent with NDTS data that indicate decreasing LSD availability,
the number of LSD-related arrests, investigations, indictments, and
seizures decreased sharply since 2000. For example, the number of arrests
reported by DEA for LSD-related offenses decreased from 162 in 2000, to 94
in 2001, to 26 in 2002, to 19 in 2003. The number of LSD-related
investigations initiated by DEA also decreased from 85 in 2000, to 40 in
2001, to 14 in 2002, to 13 in 2003. Similarly, the number of Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) LSD-related investigations
decreased from 25 in fiscal year (FY) 2001, to 11 in FY2002, to 6 in
FY2003. The number of LSD-related OCDETF indictments decreased from 15 in
FY2001, to 12 in FY2002, to 2 in FY2003. According to DEA System to
Retrieve Information From Drug Evidence (STRIDE) data, the number of
seized LSD samples submitted for testing decreased from 24,460,969 dosage
units in 2000, to 93,973 dosage units in 2001, to 1,624 dosage units in
2002, and remained relatively stable at 1,646.6 dosage units in 2003.
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LSD is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is synthesized from
ergotamine tartrate--a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. LSD
producers use several production methods; however, all methods require
significant laboratory experience and chemical knowledge. LSD production
is a lengthy and complex process; it typically takes 2 to 3 days to
produce 1 to 4 ounces of crystal LSD, which is then converted to liquid by
dissolving it in a solvent.
Most LSD available in the United States is produced in northern
California and the Pacific Northwest by a relatively small network of
experienced chemists; however, independent dealers throughout the country
produce the drug in limited quantities. Seizures of domestic LSD
laboratories are rare. DEA El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) National
Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System (NCLSS) data show only one reported
LSD laboratory seizure in Kansas in 2000, one in Missouri in 2002, and one
in California in 2003. The laboratory in Kansas, located in a former
missile silo, produced an estimated 94 million dosage units and was DEA's
largest LSD laboratory seizure.
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Attempt to Produce LSD in
Seattle
On February 5, 2004, agents from DEA with assistance from the
Seattle Police Department arrested an individual and seized
chemicals and glassware necessary to manufacture LSD from his
residence. The suspect was arrested while away from his residence
allegedly negotiating a purchase of ergotamine tartrate, an LSD
precursor, via telephone from a source in Vietnam. After arresting
the subject, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at his
residence resulting in the seizure of approximately 30 liters of
chemicals including ether, chloroform, nitrogen, anhydrous ammonia,
and bromide. Law enforcement officials also seized computers,
glassware, a vacuum pump, a distillation unit, a manual explaining
how to manufacture LSD, receipts for chemical and glassware
purchases, and approximately 500 OxyContin tablets. According to DEA
officials, the suspect was charged with attempted manufacture of LSD
and attempted possession of ergotamine tartrate. The King County
Sheriff's Office, Seattle Fire Department, and Seattle Medic-1 Unit
participated in this investigation.
Source: Drug Enforcement
Administration. |
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Transportation and wholesale distribution of LSD is controlled by the
limited number of producers of the drug, who supply midlevel distributors
in all regions of the country. LSD is transported to midlevel distributors
primarily by private vehicles and mail services. Local independent
dealers, usually Caucasian males in their late teens or early twenties,
are the principal retail distributors of LSD. However, the Milwaukee HIDTA
indicates that some local independent LSD dealers are Mexican nationals,
and the DEA Philadelphia Field Division identifies members of outlaw
motorcycle gangs as retail distributors of LSD. Sales of the drug most
often take place at colleges, high schools, nightclubs, and raves. LSD is
distributed in crystal, tablet, and liquid forms and sells for $1 to $15
per dosage unit. Liquid LSD is often packaged in small bottles designed to
hold breath freshener. LSD also is applied to gelatin squares, sugar
cubes, and blotter paper.
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LSD use will likely remain limited. MTF data reveal that past year use
of LSD among adolescents, college students, and young adults has decreased
since 1999 and that the level of disapproval of the drug remains very
high, particularly among twelfth graders and adults. For example, MTF 2003
data reveal 94.4 percent of twelfth graders disapprove of regular LSD use,
versus 77.6 percent of tenth graders and 63.5 percent of eighth graders.
MTF 2002 data indicate that disapproval rates of regular LSD use are
higher than 95 percent for adults aged 19 to 22 (96.9%), 23 to 26 (97.9%),
and 27 to 30 (98.0%)
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Executive Office of the President
Office of National Drug Control Policy
High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area
Gulf Coast
Houston
Midwest
Milwaukee
Nevada
New England
North Texas
Philadelphia/Camden
Southeast Michigan
South Texas
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
National Institute on
Drug Abuse
Monitoring the Future
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration
Office of Applied Studies
Drug Abuse Warning Network
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
Denver Field Division
El Paso Intelligence
Center
National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System
Newark Field Division
New York Field Division
Philadelphia Field
Division
Seattle Field Division
St. Louis Field Division
System to Retrieve
Information From Drug Evidence
Office of the Deputy Attorney General
Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force
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