[The substance experience, a history of LSD].
Medecine sciences : M/S April 1, 2013 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2013294018 via PubMed
Summary
LSD, a powerful hallucinogenic drug, has been tried by only 1.7% of people aged 15-64 years. Despite generating apprehension in the general population, ethnographical studies indicate that its image is relatively positive among illicit drug users. This perception is influenced by both the drug's effects and its historical connection to the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Population | general population and illicit drug users |
| Key finding | Only 1.7% of people aged 15-64 years have tried LSD in their lifetime. |
Abstract
This article reviews the recent knowledge on LSD stemming from various disciplines among which pharmacology, sociology and epidemiology. The d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a particularly powerful hallucinogenic substance. It produces distortions and hearing, visual and tactile hallucinations. Rarely used (only 1.7% of people aged 15-64 years old have tried it in their lifetime), this very powerful drug generates a strong apprehension within the general population, but the ethnographical studies show that its image seems rather good among illicit drug users. This representation relies both on the proper effects of this substance and also on the history of LSD very closely linked to the counterculture characteristic of the years 1960-1970.