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marked behavioral changes. Or, stated another way, one ounce can provide more than a quarter of a million
average doses. An average dose takes effect extremely rapidly, and the effects usually last from 8 to 12
115 hours. The use of LSD is accompanied by marked physical changes, including elevated blood pressure,
temperature, and pulse rate.
13.
The psychological effects of LSD are not always predictable. They seem to vary in the same
120 person from time to time, and depend on such factors as the amount and purity of the drug taken, the
circumstances under which it is used, and the personality characteristics of the individual. Experiences
under LSD are sometimes referred to as «trips», which can be either good or bad, or both. The presence of
a «guide» does not guarantee that the user will have a good trip.
125 14. Since LSD is chemically similiar to a substance occuring at some synapses in the brain, it may block
or facilitate relaying of neural messages. This may account for synesthesia, the translation of one sensory
experience into another — feeling an odor, seeing a sound, or hearing a light. It is not unusual for
130 the user to experience marked changes in sensation and perception, including distorted perceptions of the
self. For example, one person, while under LSD, reported, «I don't feel like I'm reacting to my own body
135 now. I feel like I'm away from it... My feet feel like they're a million miles apart» (Pol-135 lard et al.,
1965). Distorted perceptions of time are also common. Another individual «tripping» on LSD reported, «...
I don't know what time it is. I can't even think what time it is...it feels like I've been here for weeks and
140 days...» (Pollard et al., 1965)..., LSD also produces marked variations in emotional states, ranging from
inner contentment and oneness with the world to episodes of unmitigated terror. What is sometimes
frightening to the user is that he or she may experience contrasting emotions at one and the same time; for
145 example, both grief and joy. These mood contrasts are somewhat similar to those found in manic-
depressive psychosis. LSD may also produce other psychoticlike effects — hallucinations, occasional
delusions, and feelings ofdepersonalization or loss of self-identity (Snyder and Lampanella, 1969).
150 15. Why do people take LSD? The reasons are almost as varied as the types of effects produced. Some
individuals say they take LSD because they are curious, because their friends encourage and sanction it,
because they want to experience a high, or because they think they will achieve psychological,
155 philosophical, and religious insights. Some individuals, aware of the heightened sensory and perceptual
experiences it produces, believe that LSD will make them more creative. In this respect, however, LSD is a
complete failure. Artists who have created works while under the influence of LSD have later repudiated
160 the work (Gubar, 1969; McGlothlin and Arnold, 1971).
16
...In any event, most users of LSD tend either to discontinue usage or to vastly restrict their intake
after two to three years. The reason appears to be the loss of the uniqueness of the trip experience. «As (the
165 experience) is repeated many times, what was initially unique becomes more commonplace and there is a
process of diminishing returns. The effect of hallucinogens is indeed a "trip" and trips tend to lose their
appeal when repeated too often» (McGlothlin, 1975).
170 17. How dangerous is LSD? One of the delusions occurring in many LSD trips is that the person thinks
he or she has developed magical powers and is capable of flying through the air. You may remember
reading about incidents in which a person, while on an LSD trip, jumped off a rooftop, with predictable
175 consequences. The fact is that the perceptual distortions can be so overpowering that normal judgement is
suspended and the individual may attempt almost any act, no matter how foolhardy or dangerous. Some
people, when on a «bad trip» or «bummer», experience feelings of panic when overwhelmed by a flood of
180 unprecedented thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. They are powerless to «turn off» the drug and, in their
confused state, may think that they are losing their minds.
18. Another experience which can be extremely frightening is the flashback phenomenon, in which
185 days, weeks, or months later the individual experiences a recurrence of some aspects of the LSD
experience, usually of a frightening nature.... It is interesting to note that approximately five percent of
LSD users experience flashbacks despite the fact that the body appears to rid itself of LSD within two days
190 (Girdano and Girdano, 1976). Thus, the cause of flashbacks is still an unanswered question.
III HEROIN
19. There can be no question about the dangers of heroin use. What may start out innocently enough as
195 a desire to experience a new kind of high may progress with extreme rapidity to an almost continuous type