Psychedelics, Volatiles, Deliriants, Inhalants, & Designer Drugs

I. Hallucinogens

A. What are hallucinogens?

1. Hallucinogens, or psychedelics, are drugs that affect a person's perceptions, sensations, thinking, self -awareness, and emotions.

2. Hallucinogens include such drugs as LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, ecstasy, and DMT.

3. Some hallucinogens come from natural sources, such as mescaline from the peyote cactus.

4. Others, such as LSD and ecstasy, are synthetic or manufactured.

B. (MDMA) Ecstasy

1. The Pill by aSia_bLuer0se
White and round. Gulp of water
turbo down. Anxiety now can’t stand or sit Just wait, don’t worry, it will hit!
In half-an-hour you rise inside. Everyone loves, no hate to hide. Everything’s good, There is no wrong. If the whole world swallowed it, everyone would get along. World peace I have a vision Cannot be obtained, through religion. But it can be resolved, chemically. There is a god, called XTC

2. MDMA (3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a Schedule I synthetic, psychoactive drug possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties.

3. MDMA possesses chemical variations of the stimulant amphetamine or methamphetamine and a hallucinogen, most often mescaline.

4. Commonly referred to as Ecstasy or XTC, MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German company possibly to be used as an appetite suppressant.

5. Chemically, it is an analogue of MDA, a drug that was popular in the 1960s.

6. In the late 1970s, MDMA was used to facilitate psychotherapy by a small group of therapists in the United States. Illicit use of the drug did not become popular until the late 1980s and early 1990s.

7. MDMA's street names include "ecstasy," "XTC," "clarity," "essence," and "Adam."

8. MDMA is frequently used in combination with other drugs. However, it is rarely consumed with alcohol, as alcohol is believed to diminish its effects.

9. It is most often distributed at late-night parties called "raves," nightclubs, and rock concerts. As the rave and club scene expands to metropolitan and suburban areas across the country, MDMA use and distribution are increasing as well.

10. MDMA is taken orally, usually in tablet or capsule form, and its effects last approximately four to six hours.

11. Users of the drug say that it produces profoundly positive feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, and extreme relaxation.

12. MDMA is also said to suppress the need to eat, drink, or sleep, enabling users to endure two- to three-day parties. Consequently, MDMA use sometimes results in severe dehydration or exhaustion.

13. While it is not as addictive as heroin or cocaine, MDMA can cause other adverse effects including nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increases in body temperature, tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping, and blurred vision. MDMA users also report after-effects of anxiety, paranoia, and depression.

14. An MDMA overdose is characterized by high blood pressure, faintness, panic attacks, and, in more severe cases, loss of consciousness, seizures, and a drastic rise in body temperature. MDMA overdoses can be fatal, as they may result in heart failure or extreme heat stroke.

15. The effects of long-term MDMA use are just beginning to undergo scientific analysis. In 1998, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study of a small group of habitual MDMA users who were abstaining from use.

a. The study revealed that the abstinent users suffered damage to the neurons in the brain that transmit serotonin, an important biochemical involved in a variety of critical functions including learning, sleep, and integration of emotion.

b. The results of the study indicate that recreational MDMA users may be at risk of developing permanent brain damage that may manifest itself in depression, anxiety, memory loss, and other neuropsychotic disorders. tablet, capsule, or powder form.

c. Although the vast majority of MDMA consumed domestically is produced in Europe, a limited number of MDMA labs operate in the United States. Overseas MDMA trafficking organizations smuggle the drug in shipments of 10,000 or more tablets via express mail services, couriers aboard commercial airline flights, or, more recently, through air freight shipments from several major European cities to cities in the United States.

d. The drug is sold in bulk quantity at the mid-wholesale level in the United States for approximately eight dollars per dosage unit.

e. The retail price of MDMA sold in clubs in the United States remains steady at twenty to thirty dollars per dosage unit. MDMA traffickers consistently use brand names and logos as marketing tools and to distinguish their product from that of competitors.

f. The logos are produced to coincide with holidays or special events. Among the more popular logos are butterflies, lightning bolts, and four-leaf clovers.

g. While MDMA abuse currently is not as widespread as that of many other drugs, it nonetheless increased significantly--500 percent--over a five-year period. Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates reveal that nationwide hospital emergency room mentions for MDMA rose dramatically from 70 in 1993 to 2,850 in 1999.

h. Seizures of MDMA have also increased drastically. Over a six-year period, seizures of MDMA tablets submitted to DEA laboratories have risen from a total of 196 in 1993 to 143,600 in 1998. Seizures from January through May 1999 total over 216,300 MDMA tablets; the 1999 figure will most likely double the 1998 figure.

i. The NIDA-sponsored Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), a network of researchers from 21 major U.S. metropolitan areas, also has reported increased MDMA use by young adults and adolescents in many areas of the country in recent years. At the December 1998 CEWG meeting, researchers from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and Washington, D.C., reported MDMA use at night clubs and raves by young adults and adolescents.

16. MDMA Effects

a. MDMA use damages brain serotonin neurons. Serotonin is thought to play a role in regulating mood, memory, sleep, and appetite.

b. Recent research indicates heavy MDMA use causes persistent memory problems in humans.

17. The synthetic drug "ecstasy," which has been used increasingly among college students and young adults in recent years, also is being used at relatively high levels by America's 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, according to NIDA's 1996 Monitoring the Future study.

a. Nearly 5 percent of 10th and 12th graders and about 2 percent of 8th graders said they had used MDMA in the past year, the study reported.

b. Ecstasy, or MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), is structurally similar to methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Previous Monitoring the Future studies asked 12th graders about the use of MDMA by their friends and about the drug's availability.

c. The 1996 study was the first to question 8th, 10th, and 12th graders about their own use of the drug. The new data on MDMA use among these students will provide baseline information that will be helpful in tracking trends in MDMA use from a younger age.

d. MDMA use has risen sharply among college students and young adults during the 1990s, according to the 1995 Monitoring the Future study. The 1995 study included followup data on drug use among a representative sample of college students and young adults who had previously taken part in the study when they were in high school. College students and young adults in this sample have been surveyed every 2 years since the Monitoring the Future study began in 1976. The 1996 Monitoring the Future study is the first to provide data on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders' use of Ecstasy.

18. MDMA stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin from brain neurons, producing a high that lasts from several minutes to an hour. The drug's rewarding effects vary with the individual taking it, the dose and purity, and the environment in which it is taken.

MDMA can produce stimulant effects such as an enhanced sense of pleasure and self-confidence and increased energy. Its psychedelic effects include feelings of peacefulness, acceptance, and empathy. Users claim they experience feelings of closeness with others and a desire to touch them. Because MDMA engenders feelings of closeness and trust and has a short duration of action, some clinicians claim that the drug is potentially valuable as a psychotherapeutic agent. However, MDMA is classified by Federal regulators as a drug with no accepted medical use.
Health Hazards

a. MDMA users may encounter problems similar to those experienced by amphetamine and cocaine users, including addiction.

b. In addition to its rewarding effects, MDMA's psychological effects can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia during, and sometimes weeks after, taking the drug.

c. Physical effects can include muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Increases in heart rate and blood pressure are a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease.

d. MDMA-related fatalities at raves have been reported. The stimulant effects of the drug, which enable the user to dance for extended periods, combined with the hot, crowded conditions usually found at raves can lead to dehydration, hyperthermia, and heart or kidney failure.

e. These brain scans show the amount of serotonin activity over a 40-minute period in a non-MDMA user (Left) and an MDMA user (Right). Dark areas in the MDMA user's brain show damage due to chronic MDMA use.

f. A NIDA-supported study has provided the first direct evidence that chronic use of MDMA, popularly known as "ecstasy," causes brain damage in people.

g. Using advanced brain imaging techniques, the study found that MDMA harms neurons that release serotonin, a brain chemical thought to play an important role in regulating memory and other functions.

h. In a related study, researchers found that heavy MDMA users have memory problems that persist for at least 2 weeks after they have stopped using the drug.

i. Both studies suggest that the extent of damage is directly correlated with the amount of MDMA use.

j. "The message from these studies is that MDMA does change the brain and it looks like there are functional consequences to these changes," says Dr. Joseph Frascella of NIDA's Division of Treatment Research and Development.

k. That message is particularly significant for young people who participate in large, all-night dance parties known as "raves," which are popular in many cities around the Nation. NIDA's epidemiologic studies indicate that MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) use has escalated in recent years among college students and young adults who attend these social gatherings.

l. The designer drug "Ecstasy," or MDMA, causes long-lasting damage to brain areas that are critical for thought and memory, according to new research findings in the June 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. In an experiment with red squirrel monkeys, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University demonstrated that 4 days of exposure to the drug caused damage that persisted 6 to 7 years later.

m. These findings help to validate previous research by the Hopkins team in humans, showing that people who had taken MDMA scored lower on memory tests.

n. "The serotonin system, which is compromised by MDMA, is fundamental to the brain's integration of information and emotion," says Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, which funded the research. "At the very least, people who take MDMA, even just a few times, are risking long-term, perhaps permanent, problems with learning and memory."

o. The researchers found that the nerve cells (neurons) damaged by MDMA are those that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The Hopkins team had also previously conducted brain imaging research in human MDMA users, in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health, which showed extensive damage to serotonin neurons.

C. Designer Drugs

1. A designer drug is an analog, a chemical compound that is similar in structure and effect to another drug of abuse but differs slightly in structure. Designer drugs are produced in clandestine laboratories to mimic the psychoactive effects of controlled drugs.

2. Theoretically, the number of potential synthetic analogs that can be made and distributed is very large.

3. The most commonly known types of synthetic analog drugs available through the illicit drug market include analogs of fentanyl and meperidine (both synthetic opioids), phencyclidine (PCP), and amphetamine and methamphetamine (which have hallucinogenic and stimulant properties).

4. The street names of designer drugs vary according to time, place, and manufacturer, and they change frequently.

D. DOB, bromo-STP.

1. There have been reports of tablets containing DOB also being sold on the dance drug scene. It is also mentioned in a press release from The National Criminal Inteligence Service (NCIS). There are press reports of a consignment of 35,000 tablets being intercepted in France bound for the UK.

2. DOB has both hallucinogenic and sympathomimetic properties. It is
a much more potent compound than MDMA with a long duration of
action. A typical dose would be 1-5 mg.

3. Effects are reported to begin
three to four hours after ingestion and may take 24 hours to resolve.
It may produce profound disturbances of perception for up to 18 hours.

4. It has never been a popular drug in the UK or America probably
because of the numerous reports of bad experiences.

5. DOB has been reported in Australia impregnated on paper like LSD. Bad experiences are attributed to this method of distribution due to variability of dose caused by difficulties in ensuring
that sheets are evenly coated.

E. Psilocybin (mushrooms)

1. Suspended in the darkness of
The cool and still Boulder Creek Night
I hear the song of the cricket
And locusts and frogs
And I wonder
Is this the life of a Mushroom

- - - Barbara E Hanson

2. DESCRIPTION

a. There are dozens of species of psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' belonging primarily to the genuses psilocybe, panaeolus, and copelandia (unrelated to psychoactive amanita species).

b. The effects of their ingestion resemble a shorter acting LSD trip, producing significant physical, visual, and perceptual changes.

c. Nearly all of the psilocybin containing mushrooms are small brown or tan mushrooms easily mistakable for any number of non-psychoactive, inedible, or poisonous mushrooms in the wild.

d. This makes them somewhat difficult, and potentially hazardous, to identify. The primary distinguishable feature of most psilocybin containing mushrooms is that they bruise blue when handled.

3. Dose

a. Recreational doses range from 1-5 grams of dry mushrooms depending on the species and individual strength of the specimens.

b. Dosages for wet mushrooms will be approximately 10 times higher (10-50 grams). Because different species vary in size, the number of mushrooms per gram will also vary. Price
$20-$40 per 1/8 ounce. $100 - $250 per ounce.

4. Law

a. Psilocybin mushrooms are illegal in the United States because they contain psilocybin and psilocin which are specifically listed as illegal (Schedule I).
Active Ingredients

b. The primary effects of mushrooms come from several active alkaloids they contain; the most common are psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. Psilocybin is a more stable compound than psilocin, but is broken down into psilocin after ingestion.

5. Production

a. Psilocybin containing mushrooms grow wild across the United States and in many countries around the world.

b. There are also several species which are easily cultivated with a fairly simple and inexpensive setup. Most recreationally used mushrooms are cultivated rather than picked wild.

6. History

a. Psilocybe mushrooms have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans in Central and South America.

b. The first european record of their use showed up in the 16th century writings of a Spanish priest who wrote about the Aztec's use of both mushrooms and peyote.

c. In 1957, Wasson became the first in modern times to document and publish a description of his own experience (Life Magazine).

7. The active ingredient of the mushrooms, psilocybin, was soon isolated and by the mid 60's mushrooms were being both studied and used recreationally.

8. In 1968 possession of psilocybin mushrooms was made illegal in the United States.

9. Slang
mushrooms, magic mushrooms, mushies, shrooms, psilocybes, cubes (p. cubensis), liberty caps

10. EFFECTS

a. Onset
Depending on how much and how recently one has eaten, Mushrooms generally takes 30-60 minutes (though sometimes as long as 2 hrs) to take effect.

b. Duration
The primary effects of magic mushrooms last for 4-6 hours when taken orally. For many people there is an additional period of time (2-6 hrs) where it is difficult to go to sleep and there is definitely a noticeable difference from everyday reality, but which is not strong enough to be considered 'tripping'.

11. The Experience

a. In the beginning stages of onset, Mushrooms are likely to cause a sort of undefineable feeling similar to anticipation or anxiety.

b. There may be a feeling of energy in the body, and the sense that things are different than usual.

c. As the effects intensify, a wide variety of perceptual changes may occur; pupil dilation, visuals, mental stimulation, new perspectives, feelings of insight, quickly changing emotions (lots of laughter), possible paranoia and confusion.

d. More advanced users may seek spiritual awareness or a sense of universal understanding through their use of mushrooms. Closed-eye visuals are extremely common with psilocybin mushrooms. Open-eye visuals are common for some people and are more likely at higher doses.

12. PROBLEMS

a. Many people experience nausea and/or vomiting during mushroom experiences, epecially with higher doses.

b. Other possible negative effects include anxiety and unwanted or frightening thoughts and visions.

c. Mushrooms, though perhaps to a lesser degree than LSD, can precipitate strong, temporary changes in an individual's experience of life and reality.

d. It can be a powerful psychoactive experience, especially at higher doses, which is significantly affected by experiences, set and setting.

e. Recent experiences, especially strong ones, can have a substantial effect on a trip. Physically or psychologically unsettling events in the days before a Mushroom trip can blossom into more serious distress and trauma while tripping.

f. It is important to be prepared for the possibility of encountering difficult or frightening mental states.

13. Addiction Potential

a. Mushrooms are neither physically addicting nor likely to cause psychological dependance.

b. Many people actually find that their desire to use mushrooms goes down for a period of time after use.

c. As with all substances, some people will use them more frequently than they are comfortable with. There is a short period of tolerance after Mushroom use.

d. Using Mushrooms two days in a row is likely to lead to a diminished experience the second day, though spaced 5-7 or more days apart, this effect is nearly non-existent.

Effect-Time Curve

l Coming Up

l 5-30 minutes

l Plateau

l 1-3 hours

l Coming Down

l .5-3 hours

l After Effects

l 0-6 hours

e. Entheogenic Mushrooms are an amazing life form. Mushrooms, like other entheogens, have a very particular and unique character.

f. The effects of mushrooms are greatly effected by dose and an individual's sensitivity to psilocybin.

g. For some rare people 1/4 gm of Psilocybe Cubensis (a very small amount) is enough to propel them into full visionary states, with Open Eye Visuals, unpleasant stomach cramps or gas, and other High-Dose effects, while for others the same amount would be barely (if at all) noticeable, possibly causing a slight cold feeling during the first hour and other 'Threshold' effects. The effect-time curve of mushrooms, as with other entheogens, are characterized by a short period between ingestion and 'Coming Up', a short (but often experientially long) Coming Up period, a Plateau period, Coming Down, and then After Effects.

h. Some but not all of the following effects characterize the following effects levels. Please note that the minimum dosage indicated for Medium and High Doses are extremely low and those who reach these states with less than 1.0 gm of Cubensis are rare.

i. Threshold Effects : (from .25gm - .75gms P. Cubensis)
Slight cold feeling, mild gas or nausea, nervous-feeling, slight pupil-dilation, mild visual changes including lights seeming brighter, lights having a 'starry' look, and noticing movement at the periphery of vision, giddiness, feeling more emotionally sensitive, and many other effects related to a change in neurochemistry.

j. Medium Effects : (0.75gm - 2.5gms P. Cubensis)
'Cold' feeling, gas and/or stomach discomfort, nausea, pupil-dilation, open-eye visual effects: lights gain auras, star-pattern effects, rainbowing around lighting, lights seem brighter, often 'more beautiful', notice movement in periphery, sometimes increased ability to focus, sometimes reduced ability to focus, visual field 'distracting', visual field 'entertaining', closed eye 'visuals': normal closed eye 'blobs' take on patterns, shapes, distinct forms, increased ability to visualize creatively, spontaneous detailed images, feelings of time-dilation, feelings of `coming home again' which is often more pronounced for those who have used mushrooms before, feelings of belonging and connection, increased emotional sensitivity, increased ability to focus on emotional problems or memories, chance of becoming 'caught in a loop' thinking / dwelling on a single thought or feeling (usually negative or painful), realizations about past feelings, realizations about how to live, gain a new perspective on current lifestyle and behaviors, feelings of connection with those around you, noticing things which are normally ignored or taken for granted, feelings of wonder, spirit, joy, sadness, despair, religious awakening, contentment and possibly latent psychological crises can come out..

k. High Dose Effects : (2.5gm - 10gms)
All of the Medium Effects, usually with a significantly more uncomfortable Coming Up, more pronounced nausea sometimes (rarely) resulting in vomiting, sometimes significant mental discomfort associated with feelings of fear and often times accompanying a "what have I done to myself" or "how far am I going" thought, the unpleasant Coming Up effects usually lessen with familiarity and more knowledge about the safety and character of mushroom effects.

l. High Dose Effects are usually characterized by the closed eye visualizations being significantly more elaborate and enfolding, religious revelation, spiritual awakening, near death experiences, loss of self, talking to seemingly external, autonomous entities, extreme emotional responses, repressed memories coming to life, latent psychological crises can come to the surface, intense feelings of wonder, connection, joy, fear.

m. High Dose Effects can also include extreme time-dilation, with experiences of wall-clock minutes taking an experientially large amount of time, watching clocks or digital counters where the seconds seem to take minutes to count off. One of the most interesting effects is the feeling of awakening for the first time ever from a previous state of sleep, of liberation from what is now seen as a life-long state of bondage.

n. Paradoxically, it is this new awareness which feels normal and natural and the previous fog which is seen to have been unreal all along. The bemushroomed seeker is convinced that, once gained, this awareness is impossible to lose, but inexplicably by the next day it is just a memory.

F. LSD (Acid)

I suddenly became strangely inebriated. The external world became changed as in a dream. Objects appeared to gain inrelief; they assumed unusual dimensions; and colors became more glowing. Even self-perception and the sense of time were changed. When the eyes were closed, colored pictures flashed past in a quickly changing kaleidoscope. After a few hours, the not unpleasant inebriation, which had been experienced whilst I was fully conscious, disappeared. What had caused this condition?
- - Albert Hofmann - Laboratory Notes (1943)

1. DESCRIPTION

a. LSD is one of the most commonly used 'psychedelic' or 'hallucinogenic' substance.

b. It comes in a variety of forms, but is virtually always taken orally. Today, LSD is most commonly found in the form of small squares of paper called blotter (full sheets of paper are decorated with artwork or designs, perforated, then soaked in liquid LSD and dried). (SEE HANDOUT)

c. Other forms include, pills, gelatin sheets or shapes (pyramids, cubes, etc), liquid, liquid sugar cubes, and powder. Blotter is most common because it is easily produced, easily concealable and the format allows for few adulterant chemicals.

d. A standard dose of LSD for the past 20 years has been between 50 - 150 ug (micrograms).

e. A single hit of most blotter paper contains somewhere in this range, though this varies depending on the source and there is no way for the average user to determine the strength of a piece of blotter other than by word of mouth. In the 60's and 70's, when LSD came primarily in pill form, the average single dosage unit was somewhat higher than it is with today's blotter, more often in the 200-400 ug range.

f. A drop of liquid can contain a huge amount of LSD but is generally made so that one drop is a single medium dose.

2. Price

a. Sold by the single hit of blotter, LSD sells for $3 to $10 per hit, though it sometimes ranges as high as $25 depending on where you purchase it. Captive markets such as raves generally produce high prices while friend to friend it is often sold at cheaper prices.

b. Less common forms of LSD sell for somewhat higher prices ($8-10 for a single hit), and as with most substances, the price goes down if you buy in bulk. Sheets of 100 hits (blotter) generally range from $1-$2 per hit.

c. One of the more novel things about the illicit LSD market is that within the LSD using community, it is somewhat common to give single doses away to friends and acquaintences at extremely cheap prices, if not free.

3. Law

a. LSD is illegal in the United States (Schedule I) and in most other countries. It is also listed as Schedule I in the International Convention on Psychotropic Substances, an international drug control treaty.

b. d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a synthetic chemical derived from ergot alkaloids which are produced by the ergot fungus which grows on rye.
Production

c. LSD requires an experienced organic chemist to produce. All useful synthesis methods begin with Lysergic Acid which is schudule III. It is produced in crystal form, primarily by a small number of knowledgeable chemists in fully equipped laboratories.

d. The DEA speculates that it is produced mainly in the United States and Canada.

4. History

a. LSD was first synthesized in 1938 and discovered to be psychoactive in 1943.

b. It became popular in the '60's and was made illegal in 1967.

c. It has been widely available on the black market since that time.

5. Slang

a. The Substance : LSD (Lyserg-Saeure-Diaethylamid in German), acid, cid, L, blotter, tabs, LAD, doses, trips, microdots (small pills)
The Experience : tripping, flying

6. Effects

a. Onset
Depending on how much and how recently one has eaten, LSD generally takes 20 - 60 minutes (though sometimes as long as 2 hrs) to take effect.

b. Duration
The primary effects of LSD last for 6-8 hours.. For many people there is an additional period of time (2-6 hrs) where it is difficult to go to sleep and there is definitely a noticeable difference from everyday reality, but which is not strong enough to be considered 'tripping'.

7. The Experience

a. In the beginning stages of onset, LSD is likely to cause a sort of undefineably feeling similar to anticipation or anxiety. There is often a slight feeling of energy in the body, an extra twinkle to lights, or the feeling that things are somehow different than usual.

b. As the effects become stronger, a wide variety of perceptual changes may occur; non-specific mental and physical stimulation, pupil dilation, closed and open eye patterning and visuals, changed thought patterns, feelings of insight, confusion, or paranoia, and quickly changing emotions (happiness, fear, gidiness, anxiety, anger, joy, irritation)

8. Problems

a. LSD can precipitate strong, temporary changes in an individual's experience of life and reality.

b. Even in low doses, it is a powerful psychoactive that can be significantly affected by experiences, set and setting. Recent experiences, especially strong ones, can have a substantial effect on a trip. Physically or psychologically unsettling events in the days before an LSD trip can blossom into more serious distress and trauma while tripping.

c. Using a 'sitter', a sober friend who's job it is to watch out for you while you're tirpping can go a long way toward easing anxiety and ensuring that someone will be able to deal with any situation that might arise. It's amazing how confusing a ringing phone or a cop at the door can be if you're on LSD.

9. Addiction Potential

a. LSD is quite unlikely to lead to addiction in most people. There is no physical addiction or withdrawal after heavy use, although people can and do become mentally habituated to LSD as with any substance. There is a short period of tolerance after LSD use.

b. Using LSD two days in a row is likely to lead to a diminished experience the second day, though spaced 3 or more days apart, this effect is nearly non-existent.

Effect-Time Curve

Onset
20-60 minutes
Coming Up
15-30 minutes
Plateau
2-6 hours
Coming Down
3-5 hours
After Effects
2-5 hours

10. POSITIVE EFFECTS

a. increase in energy (stimulation)

b. increase in associative & creative thinking
mood lift

c. increased awareness & appreciation of music

d. increased awareness of senses. (eating, drinking, smell)

e. closed and open eye visuals

f. profound life-changing spiritual experiences

11. NEUTRAL EFFECTS

a. general change in consciousness (as with most psychoactives)

b. pupil dilation

c. difficulty focusing

d. increased salivation and mucus production (causes coughing in some people)

e. unusual body sensations (facial flushing, chills, goosebumps, body energy)

f. unusual thoughts and speech

g. change in perception of time

h. quickly changing emotions (happiness, fear, gidiness, anxiety, anger, joy, irritation)

i. slight increase in body temperature

j. slight increase in heart rate

12. NEGATIVE EFFECTS

a. anxiety

b. tension, jaw tension

c. increased perspiration

d. nausea

e. dizziness, confusion

f. megalomania

g. over-awareness & over-sensitization to music and noise

h. paranoia, fear, and panic

i. unwanted and overwhelming feelings

j. unwanted life-changing spiritual experiences

k. flashbacks

13. LSD Dosage

a. LSD comes in several different forms.

b. The most common is paper blotter. Other forms include gell caps, liquid, and gelatin.

c. Each form will contain different quantities and purities of lysergic acid diethylamide.

d. The chart below shows dosages for pure LSD measured in micrograms (ug). Micrograms are 1/1,000,000 of a gram.

Threshhold - 20 ug

Common - 50 - 150 ug

Strong - 150 - 400 ug

Heavy - 400 ug +

LD50 (Lethal Dose*) - 12000 ug +

* LD50 = dose which will kill 50% of the tested animals.

Blotter

a. The most common form of LSD is paper blotter divided into about 1/4" squares called tabs.

b. A single tab usually contains between 30 - 100 ug of LSD. Paper blotters are created by taking a sheet of absorbant paper (usually decorated and perforated) and soaking it in a dilution of lysergic acid diethylamide. The dilution can vary greatly from one batch to another, or one chemist to another.

c. Because of the method used to make blotter tabs, there is no practical way to know the exact dosage of a particular tab without either trying it or knowing the chemist.

d. Adjacent tabs on a sheet will usually contain very similar levels of LSD. Because a blotter tab is so small, only extremely potent chemicals such as LSD can fit at active levels.

Liquid

a. LSD is soluble in water and other solvents, though liquid LSD is usually water based. Liquid LSD is used in the creation of blotter tabs.

b. A single drop of potent liquid LSD could be 50 times a normal dose, although it is generally diluted to the point where a single drop is equal to approximately one dose.

c. This varies greatly from batch to batch, and is sometimes a weak dose while othertimes a very strong dose. Liquid LSD is uncommon. Be extremely careful when dealing with it as there is no way to guage it's potency.

d. It is frequently stored in small dropper bottles, one precaution...when you reach the end of the bottle, don't rinse it out and assume that what remains is a small dose. There can still be many doses left along the inside surfaces and taking them all at once can lead to some unexpectedly strong and possibly very uncomfortable experiences.

Gelatin

a. Also known as "window panes". Gelatin LSD is made by mixing liquid LSD with gelatin and forming it into small, thin squares.

b. The benefit of this method is that less of the LSD is exposed to sun and air which break down lysergic acid diethylamide. A single square of gelatin is commonly stronger than a single blotter tab of LSD. (Rough estimate 50 - 150 ug per square).

Mescaline

What is mescaline?
Mescaline comes from the peyote cactus and although it is not as strong as LSD, its effects are similar. Mescaline is usually smoked or swallowed in the form of capsules or tablets.
Peyote is a small, spineless cactus, Lophophora williamsii, whose principal active ingredient is the hallucinogen mescaline. From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of traditional religious rites.
The top of the cactus above ground--also referred to as the crown--consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut from the roots and dried.
These buttons are generally chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid. The hallucinogenic dose for mescaline is about 0.3 to 0.5 grams (equivalent to about 5 grams of dried peyote) and lasts about 12 hours.
While peyote produced rich visual hallucinations which were important to the native peyote cults, the full spectrum of effects served as a chemically induced model of mental illness. Mescaline can be extracted from peyote or produced synthetically.

DESCRIPTION

a. Phencyclidine (PCP) is a synthetic chemical in the dissociative anaesthetic class. It is perhaps best known by the media hype it received in the late 1970's portraying it as a extremely dangerous chemical causing madness, psychotic reactions, and super-human strength.

b. It is found in a variety of forms including crystals/powder, tablets, and liquid. Recently it seems to be available on the underground market most commonly as cannabis joints, regular cigarettes or cannabis leaf dipped in liquid PCP and usually marketed as something else, seldom as 'PCP'.

Dose
a. PCP is used in very small quantities with 5-10 mg considered an average dose.
Law
PCP is illegal to possess in the United States (schedule II).
Chemistry
Phencyclidine (PCP) is a synthetic chemical that can be derived from an essential oil of the sassafras tree.
History

a. PCP was first synthesized in 1926 and began being investigated as a human anesthetic in the mid 1950's by Parke Davis.

b. It was marketed as a human anesthetic for two years under the name 'Sernyl' before being withdrawn from the market due to hallucinations experienced by patients under it's influence.

c. Recreational use rose in the late 60's leading to its placement in Schedule III in the early 70's. After its recreational use continued to rise during the early 70's, PCP was moved to Schedule II in 1978.

Slang

a. The Substance: PCP, Phencyclidine, Crystal, Angel Dust, Rocket Fuel, Wet, Water, Fry, Amp, Embalming Fluid, Formaldehyde, Hog

PCP comes in a variety of forms including crystals/powder, tablets, and liquid. Recently it appears to be most commonly available as marijuana joints or regular cigarettes dipped in liquid PCP [called fry, embalming fluid, wet, and others].
Phencyclidine (PCP) is DEA schedule II. This is defined federally as a drug which :

a. Has a high potential for abuse.

b. Has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions.

c. Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.

DMT is a chemical neurotransmitter present naturally in the human body as well as in many plants.
It can be smoked, or used orally...producing very different results. When ingested orally (usually from plant material)...it is often referred to as Ayahuasca.

a. Pure DMT is most often found in crystal form.

b. When smoked, DMT effects are shortlived and intense and the smoke is harsh and plastic tasting. Because of the quick onset, it's important to try to breathe the smoke in deeply. If you wait too long for a second hit, the effects may have already begun...and once they have, it's unlikely you'll have the opportunity to take another hit.

c. Many people find the most effective method for smoking DMT is to use a glass pipe and inhale deeply. Often, the DMT melts and some of it remains behind in the pipe. This can be a problem if you load a full dose at a later date and unknowingly have an additional 20 mg left in the pipe. One person has recommended prewarming the pipe.

d. In theory, this will prevent the vaporized DMT from depositing on the cold glass of the pipe. Another recommendation is to put a second screen on top of the DMT so the flame doesn't burn the DMT (resulting in loss of material).

Inhalants

What are inhalants?

a. Inhalant use is the deliberate inhalation or "sniffing" of common, legal substances to achieve a mind-altering state referred to as a "high.

b. Inhalants are products with a variety of industrial, commercial, and household uses and can broadly be categorized as either solvents (liquids) or gases.

c. Solvents include such products as paint thinners, gasoline and glue but also include such things as felt-tip marker fluid.

d. Household inhalant gases include butane lighters, propane gases, whipped cream and hair spray aerosols, airplane glue and spray paints.

e. Commercial inhalant gases include refrigerant gases, medical anesthetic gases, e.g., ether and nitrous oxide (so-called laughing gas), and other medical inhalants, e.g., amyl nitrate. Amyl nitrite, normally used to revive those who have fainted or been rendered unconscious, is a clear yellowish liquid that is sold in a cloth-covered, sealed bulb. When broken, the bulb makes a snapping sound, thus the nicknames of snappers or "poppers.

f. Inhalants enter the bloodstream and are rapidly distributed to the brain as well as to other organs of the body such as the liver, kidneys and bone marrow. "While some inhalants are metabolized and then excreted by the kidneys, others are eliminated unchanged from the body, primarily through the lungs," says Wadler. "Consequently, the odor of various solvents may remain on the breath for several hours following their inhalation." Most inhalants are fat-soluble, therefore the complete elimination of inhalants may take sometime since they are released rather slowly from fatty tissues back into the blood."

What are the short-term adverse effects of inhalant abuse?

a. Although the array of inhalants varies in their effect, for the most part they behave like anesthetics to slow down various bodily functions.

b. Short-term effects appear soon after inhalation and disappear within a few hours. Initially, the user is stimulated and disinhibited, but with successive inhalations, speech becomes slurred, the gait becomes staggered, hallucinations may appear, drowsiness ensues, respirations become depressed and the user may lapse into unconsciousness if continuously exposed to the fumes.

c. Deaths due to suffocation, dangerous behaviors associated with intoxication, and aspiration have been associated with acute inhalant abuse. As with other drugs of abuse, the use of inhalants while taking other depressant drugs such as alcohol and tranquilizers increases the risk of loss of consciousness, coma and even death.

What are the long-term adverse effects of inhalation abuse?

a. The long-term adverse effects associated with repeated abuse of inhalants varies depending upon the specific inhalant abused and include weight loss, electrolyte imbalance, nosebleeds, and mouth sores. "Some solvents, such as aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., gasoline) irreversibly interfere with the formation of blood cells in the bone marrow, while others (e.g., dry-cleaning fluids) may impair liver and/or kidney function", says Wadler.

b. "Some glues may produce permanent hearing loss while others may irreversibly destroy nerve function."

c. While the short term effects of inhalants on the central nervous system (slurred speech, euphoria, hallucinations) can last from minutes to hours, the long term adverse effects on the central nervous system are irreversible and result from the dissolving away of brain cells by the solvents.

d. Clinically this can be manifested as irreversible dementia, gait disturbances and loss of coordination. Behavioral symptoms in regular heavy sniffers include mental confusion, fatigue, depression, irritability, hostility, and paranoia

What is Sniffing Death Syndrome?

a. One mechanism of death that may account for the largest percentage of deaths from acute inhalant abuse has been referred to as the "Sniffing Death Syndrome."

b. Sudden sniffing deaths typically occur in association with strenuous exercise or with sudden emotional stress, e.g., being discovered inhaling by an authority figure.

c. According to Wadler, "Inhalants sensitize the heart to epinephrine. Activities or events that acutely raise blood epinephrine levels can result in fatal rhythm disturbances of the heart.

d. Particularly disturbing is the fact that sudden sniffing death can occur with the very first experimentation with inhalation abuse, and in fact, in one study, 22% of deaths occurred in individuals with no known prior inhalant abuse."

Are inhalants addictive?

a. Regular inhalant use induces tolerance, which means increased doses are necessary to produce the same effects.

b. After a year, for example, a regular glue sniffer may be using from eight to ten tubes of plastic cement to maintain the "high" originally achieved with a single tube.

c. Psychological dependence on inhalants, the compulsive need to keep taking them is fairly common. Youthful solvent abusers can be among the most difficult patients to cure.

d. Physical dependence occurs when the body has adapted to the presence of inhalants and withdrawal symptoms occur if their use is stopped abruptly.

e. Upon sudden discontinuation of the inhalants, some chronic users suffer chills, hallucinations, headaches, abdominal pains, or delirium tremens (DTs - the "shakes").

f. Don’t EVEN TRIP, IT’S THE END…Finally