Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) also colloquially known as acid is a psychedelic drug often criticised as being dangerous and delusion inducing but is also heralded by many scientists and psychologists as mind expanding, wonder drug. LSD is a derivative of ergot; ergot is a fungus which frequently grows on both rye and wheat. For centuries ergot was utilised as a medicine, such as in childbirth in small dosages. It was used to aid childbirth via both quickening delivery and stopping the bleeding afterwards. So intuitively a pharmaceutical company began to research its potential medical benefits. Sandoz Laboratories tasked chemist Albert Hoffman in the early 20th century with identifying and isolating the compounds in ergot that were medically beneficial. In 1938 he tried a few variations which yielded little success. Although on a few animal experiments Hoffman noted that one variation, Lysergic acid diethylamide -25 or LSD-25 had a peculiar effect on the mice, resulting in the species bizarrely behaving in an excited manner. Despite this Sandoz thought very little of the compound and mostly forgot about it. For Hofmann however, this wasnt the case, as 5 years later in 194
3 he resynthesised the compound and one day, while working with it began to feel strange. Hoffman went home laid down and became the first person in the world to hallucinate on LSD. But he couldnt determine what caused the hallucination, as he always took extra precautions avoiding ingestion knowing that LSD could be poisonous. This led Hoffman to conclude that he absorbed a minute amount through his fingertips. He then began to experiment on himself by dosing himself with 250µg. The rest is history, LSD became a centrepiece of the counterculture movement in the 60s and after the patents expired, millions saw LSD as means to expand their spiritual horizons. Although soon after there was a cultural and literal crackdown on any sort of drug and LSD became illegal in 1968. Since its illegalization it has become very difficult to study it because of legal restrictions. In Australia LSD is schedule 9 (S9) meaning it is a prohibited substance and in the United States it is still classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule I drug, cataloguing it as one of the ‘most dangerous drugs’ with ‘no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.’