USA - Who's got the acid?

[Alfa]

WHO'S GOT THE ACID?

These Days, Almost Nobody.

Researchers at the University of Michigan started tracking the illicit drug
habits of America's high-schoolers in 1975. Despite the inherent difficulty
of conducting such surveys--kids are excellent liars and exaggerators--the
Michigan team has established "Monitoring the Future" as the most reliable
guide to drug-use trends in the United States.

MTF has documented the rise and decline of many drugs, but lead researcher
Dr. Lloyd Johnston says the group has never seen such a dramatic drop in
the use of an established illicit drug as they're seeing now with LSD. In
both the 2000 and 2001 surveys, 6.6 percent of high-school seniors reported
that they'd used LSD in the previous year. In 2002, the figure dropped to
3.5 percent. And in the most recent survey, from 2003, only 1.9 percent of
high-school seniors claim to have dropped acid. (The standard error for
this LSD survey is 0.25 percentage points.)

Evidence of acid's decline can be found practically everywhere you look: in
the number of emergency room mentions of the drug; in an ongoing federal
survey of drug use; in a huge drop in federal arrests; and in anecdotal
reports from the field that the once ubiquitous psychedelic is exceedingly
difficult to score. In major cities and college towns where LSD was once
plentiful, it can't be had at all.

University of Maryland professor Peter Reuter, a leading drug-policy
expert, is flabbergasted by the new LSD data.

"We have literally never seen anything like this," Reuter says. "This isn't
a trend. This is an event."

Obviously, the LSD market isn't as easy to understand as, say, the coffee
bean market because criminal sanctions against LSD's manufacture, sale,
possession, and use drive most of the useful data underground. But while
our knowledge of the LSD market may be imperfect, a variety of available
yardsticks, such as the MTF survey, give us some sense of its workings.

For instance, data from the federal Drug Abuse Warning Network, which
charts emergency room data in 21 major cities, second MTF's LSD surveys.
DAWN, run by the Department of Health and Human Services, isn't a
scientific survey: It merely records the "mentions" of drugs by patients
entering emergency rooms. (For instance, if you visited the ER with a

broken finger, and they asked if you were on drugs, and you said, "Yes,
LSD," you'd go down as an LSD mention, even if you were fibbing. If you
answered, "Yes, LSD and pot," they'd record both drug mentions.) But DAWN
data is still a good rough measure of drug use. Between 1995 and 2000, LSD
mentions remained relatively stable, hovering around 2,500 during each
six-month period. But in the second half of 2001, DAWN's LSD mentions
dropped below 1,000 for the first time. In the next six-month period,
mentions fell below 500.

DAWN Project Director Dr. Judy Ball says what's unique about the LSD
findings is that they show a consistent decline in every metropolitan area
measured, not just common regional fluctuations.

Another HHS initiative started surveying LSD use in the general population
in 1965. It now does business as the National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, and the most recent results register a decline among 18- to
25-year-olds who say they have ever used the drug (16.6 percent to 15.9
percent). In the 12 to 17 range, use fell from 3.3 percent to 2.7 percent.
NSDUH changed its methodology for the most recent survey in such a way that
had LSD use stayed constant, the survey should have shown an uptick in use.
This means the decline in LSD use is greater than the NSDUH numbers reflect.

Nobody collects national arrest data for LSD cases, but federal arrests for
LSD trafficking and possession have tumbled in recent years. The Drug
Enforcement Administration recorded 203 arrests in FY2000, 95 in FY2001, 41
in FY2002, and 19 in FY2003. In the first quarter of 2004, the feds have
arrested only three people on LSD charges. In the LSD haven of San
Francisco, the DEA recorded 20 arrests in 2000 versus zero in 2002,
according to DEA Special Agent Richard Meyer of the agency's San Francisco
office.

One possible explanation for the decline could be changed attitudes about
LSD. But MTF's Johnston says a shift in drug habits is "generally
explainable by the disapproval or risk data, but in this case we didn't
have that." Indeed, the perceived risk and disapproval rates for LSD among
the MTF population have dropped steadily since 1975.

So what explains the LSD drought? The best explanation is a bust, a really
big bust. The DEA claims it reduced the LSD supply by "95 percent" with two
arrests in rural Kansas in November 2000. Clyde Apperson and William
Leonard Pickard were charged with and eventually convicted of possession
and conspiracy to distribute LSD. According to court testimony, the DEA
seized the largest operable LSD laboratory in agency history, as well as 91
pounds of LSD and precursor compounds for the potential manufacture of
nearly 27 pounds more. If you define a dose of LSD as 100 micrograms,
Apperson and Pickard had around 400 million hits in stock. At the more
common dosage level of 20 micrograms, the two were sitting on 2 billion
hits. Apperson got 30 years in prison, and Pickard got two life sentences.
The Kansas bust marked the third time in four years that the DEA had
arrested Apperson and Pickard on LSD lab charges.

The LSD market took an earlier blow in 1995, when Grateful Dead frontman
Jerry Garcia died and the band stopped touring. For 30 years, Dead tours
were essential in keeping many LSD users and dealers connected, a
correlation confirmed by the DEA in a divisional field assessment from the
mid-'90s. The spring following Garcia's death (the season the MTF surveys
are administered), annual LSD use among 12th-graders peaked at 8.8 percent
and began their slide. Phish picked up part of the Dead's fan base--and
presumably vestiges of the LSD delivery system. At the end of 2000, Phish
stopped touring as well, and perhaps not coincidentally, the MTF numbers
for LSD began to plummet.

Where have all the acid-eaters gone? MTF records a stable interest in
"hallucinogens other than LSD"--the hallucinogen usually being psychoactive
mushrooms--since the 2000 decline of acid. DAWN shows the same trend under
the "miscellaneous hallucinogens" category. (Over the same period, use of
both ecstasy and methamphetamine dropped in the MTF survey.) In other
words, the decline in LSD use doesn't look like a demand-side phenomena:
The cultural hunger for a substance that lets you hold affordable
conversations with God, watch walls melt, breathe colors, and explore your
psyche remains unsated.

When declining supply intersects with unchanged demand, an increase in
price usually occurs--this seems to be the case with LSD. While the DEA
does not release price information for LSD, many acid aficionados say its
once-steady price of $5 a hit now ranges as high as $20, and that's when
the drug is available. Another market change: In 1995, one could easily
purchase several sheets of 100 hits at selected rock concerts, but buying
more than 10 doses at a time today is difficult.

Historically, illicit LSD production has been dominated by just a few
operators, so if Apperson and Pickard were the United States' major LSD
suppliers, taking them down may well have caused this major disruption.
They won't be easily replaced. Synthesizing LSD is much more difficult than
brewing methamphetamine, PCP, or even ecstasy. Also, LSD manufacture
demands precision chemistry and difficult-to-obtain precursor chemicals
that these other drugs don't.

How permanent is the acid drought? The history of drug prohibition
indicates that the government can upset supply and demand at the margins.
It can drive one drug into scarcity only to see users substitute it with
another. But it never eliminates the market for drugs altogether. As the
drug war enters its second century, LSD appears to be in retreat. But never
bet against a comeback.

Reputation Comments on this post:

interesting article on LSD

[Desertfox]

are they sure kids just aren't smarter today and when they go to a hospital they do not tell the doctor's they were on any psychotropic substances due to legal ramifications and the doctor's desire to help that patient. Even with doctor-patient confidentiality a doctor's ego does get in his/her way of helping the patient.

At least in my reality tunnel it seems a higher percentage of the population is aware/ingesting psychedelic substances more than ever before.

[Cayman]

I think that would definitely be a big factor, I certainly keep pretty tight lips on what I've been taking when I see a doctor.

[Desertfox]

Yeah, doctor's tend to make quick assumptions in order to move on to the next patient and when you say you've been on some crystalline substance then instead of doing their work and seeing whats wrong with you they jump to the conclusion that 'illegal drugs are bad for you, that's your problem. come back when you're off them.'

[tryptamaster]

lol when i first saw this thread i was expecting a typical "who can get me acid?!?!?!" thread but then saw alfa as the poster and calmed down. and swim thinks lsd has had a horible stigma grown to it....in swims are acid is considered "hard-core" and also, many people DO NOT REALIZE acid and lsd are one in the same. swim has asked many including drug users if theyve done acid and theyll say yea but then say they havent dne lsd. swim is sure other swimmers have seen this kinda stupidity elswhere too. swim thinks the main drop is the dropping availabilty and stigma now attached to it. he thinks prescriptions are replacing lsd and many other psychedelics as peoples "drugs to try".

[cra$h]

wow. That's horrible. not knowing the difference between lsd and acid, is like thinking pot and weed are different. But pills have definitly crippled the illicit manufacturing, exept for weed, since anyone can grow it. But it seems people just don't want to bother learning how to make anything. Swim doesn't know. Dose comes around every month or so, so swim doesn't have too much to worry about.

[gmeziscool2354]

dude, you would be surprised. My rabbit was once introduced to a street dealer. He said (to my rabbit) "what do you want, i've got bud, pot, herb and skunk" My rabbit said none and went his separate ways

but no, one of my professors is and adjunct from Goucher college in towson maryland, and i don't know much about that school, but it pails in comparison as a party school to its cross town neighbor Towson University. Anyway, he told us one of his students got busted selling LSD a few weeks back. He told our class that he has not heard of that happening to a student at a university he has been teaching at since 1974.

so bit of cultural relevance. Seems like acid would be a really hard drug to get busted with, since it is so easy to hide in its most common forms

gmeziscool2354 added 4 Minutes and 13 Seconds later...

oh, and trypmasta, one thinks that all of this modern idocracy associated with drugs is the trend (atleast of the US east coast) of the last 10 years to dumb down science requirements so all students can pass their standardized tests. Highschool chemistry at many schools in maryland is practically a joke, and the states best teacher just retired, so this isn't going to change anytime soon. At my college this years freshman class is way behind others in previous years. my professor was telling me that he wanted to stop teaching intro chem, but fears that no one else will have the patience to deal with next years class. apparently they've already doubled last years laboratory bill and the year isn't even halfway done

[tryptamaster]

lol swiygmez swim does indeed reside on the east coast. and his onyl chemistyr knowledge is one year of hs chem. so he hopes that his posts in the chemistry forum arent judged too harshly by the real chemists here.

[Richi]

Originally Posted by Alfa

The cultural hunger for a substance that lets you hold affordable
conversations with God, watch walls melt, breathe colors, and explore your
psyche remains unsated.

I personally hope this remains true.

[PsychoActivist]

SWIM honestly believes (and always has) it was the Kansas bust. Before the bust LSD was always readily available to him. He has taken LSD probably around 50-70 times and all but 4 times were before that bust. In fact he has only seen LSD those 4 times since 2000. He has heard that people know where to get it but he has not seen anyone come through.

He is sure that there is still some around in the U.S. but not much and damn sure not like it used to be. Not in America at least (he definitely cannot speak for other parts of the world). He does however believe that it is only a matter of time before someone else steps up to the plate.

By the way......

Originally Posted by tryptamaster

lol when i first saw this thread i was expecting a typical "who can get me acid?!?!?!" thread but then saw alfa as the poster and calmed down.

I thought the same thing lol.

[superdupernaut]

^^^
Swim concurs. Unfortunately for him his psychadelic interest began after the big bust.

"Apperson got 30 years in prison, and Pickard got two life sentences.
The Kansas bust marked the third time in four years that the DEA had
arrested Apperson and Pickard on LSD lab charges."

Apperson and pickard are fallen heroes. I had no idea about the prior arrests. I wonder how they got off the previous two times. Swim prays that someone else will step up to the plate, but understands that those kind of prison sentances can be rather discouraging.

[Cryptic Concoction]

Historically, when the government curtails the use of one drug, it serves to propagate users of another.

I would speculate that as the government shifts its focal point to methamphetamine, another drug will either see a resurgence of discover new-found popularity.

Of course, there are many variables to consider but it does seem that there remains a conspicuous stigma on LSD throughout mainstream America. "LSD will melt your brain," "LSD will make your brain bleed," "LSD stays in your body forever," "LSD will make you have flashbacks," "LSD will make you jump out windows," etc. etc. etc....

I can't imagine that the allure and mystique that psychedelics command will ever entirely succumb to extinction. Nothing quite exudes that enticing enigma of exploration quite like psychedelics.

It also seems likely that eventually more chemists will emerge, avid to take the seat of the mass producers who have fallen before them to the government's holy crusade.

[cra$h]

We should put more of a focus on the synthesis of LSD in the forum. Swim's browsed through there, and it seems like everyone that has an interest in production, is simply told it's too complicated. There's plenty of people who could comprehend the chemestry involved, swim being one of them, but with pretty much no resources. If someone's done it before, and people have accurately replicated, why can't it be done again?

People around this forum also bitch about how it's hard to find LsD-25, and end up with a DOx compound. Instead of bitchin, why not fix it? It's the acid culture's fault why there's no acid around. The vets who just take take take, have to give, and teach. The kids in school now are dumb. Dumber than you think. And who else to look up to than a personal Leary figgure?

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good, valid points

[Cryptic Concoction]

Originally Posted by cra$h

We should put more of a focus on the synthesis of LSD in the forum. Swim's browsed through there, and it seems like everyone that has an interest in production, is simply told it's too complicated. There's plenty of people who could comprehend the chemestry involved, swim being one of them, but with pretty much no resources. If someone's done it before, and people have accurately replicated, why can't it be done again?

People around this forum also bitch about how it's hard to find LsD-25, and end up with a DOx compound. Instead of bitchin, why not fix it? It's the acid culture's fault why there's no acid around. The vets who just take take take, have to give, and teach. The kids in school now are dumb. Dumber than you think. And who else to look up to than a personal Leary figgure?

I think think that part of the reason that members who stumble on here asking how to synthesize LSD-25 are spurned is that members tire of those searching for a quick, simply way of manufacturing LSD. I think that many members would not mind offering assistance to those who show a strong commitment to understanding the prerequisite chemistry and the process.

Not using the search function or browsing the forum, of course, is an indication of a lack of commitment. I think most of us understand that LSD synthesis can not be learned in a 2-day chemistry crash course.

[RoboCodeine7610]

It's probably because other drugs are some much easier to synthesise and cost more than acid.People aren't looking after a particular drug for example, if you went to your dealer and asked for acid and he said he only has coke or X or whatever most people would probably just buy something else.

[Greenport]

The revolution will come when somebody finds a way for any average joe to easily make LSD from something relatively obtainable.

Power by numbers. When the countries become suddenly flooded (like think literally overloaded) it will make its comeback. And yes, when.

The future is going to be very interesting for many many reasons, but one thing swim is sure of is that this drug will experience a resurgence and when it does, there will be no stopping it this time around.

[Euphoric]

Is there a way to find out where seizures have happened recently (even small ones) just to get an idea of where LSD still circulates?

[shroomeryguy]

Well if someone started up a lsd lab it looks like they make a lot of money

[Desertfox]

SWIM envisioned a LSD manufacturing machine that only required you to place the precursors and solvents in and then push a few buttons and then everything else is done for you so any avg joe could produce it, although SWIM is several years away from making this vision a reality or even see if its a possible reality. And theres probly more money to be made in selling this machine than sellling mass produced LSD, and once the machine is made LSD could be made so easily it would be so cheap that no one could really make money synthesizing it. Of course the machine would have the choice to produce ALD-52 or LSD-25. SWIM also considered exploring the idea of injecting LSD-substrates into mushrooms to produce LSD-like tryptamines instead of psilocin because swim knows this has been done with AMT but LSD is a much more fragile, complex molecule so this may not be a possibility. end rant.

[Zinc]

Sorry for being a little off topic, but what is the difference between ALD-52 and LSD-25?

[beentheredonethatagain]

no precursers = no synthesis.

dang just because one has a grasp of the chemistry involved and is willing to put their freedom on the line that is only half the battle the real trick is gaining access to the stuff needed to produce.

[shroomeryguy]

that would be tough since there are many steps including freezing and unfreezing, need a lot of moving of chemicals, but if SWIM did this he would probably have an industrial lsd lab

[Ralf_4]

one prob i see is that when looking at all the synthesis guides, they r all really difficult complicated procedures. if someone took all this info and just made a 'dummies guide to making lsd', like ergine goes here, put red/yellow light on here etc. it would be much easier for people to get involved but since it all looks so overwhelming to people, they just give up.
this could however cause many deaths/never-ending trips but we can count them as martyrs 4 the cause!!

[RedLantern]

Originally Posted by cra$h

We should put more of a focus on the synthesis of LSD in the forum. Swim's browsed through there, and it seems like everyone that has an interest in production, is simply told it's too complicated. There's plenty of people who could comprehend the chemestry involved, swim being one of them, but with pretty much no resources. If someone's done it before, and people have accurately replicated, why can't it be done again?

People around this forum also bitch about how it's hard to find LsD-25, and end up with a DOx compound. Instead of bitchin, why not fix it? It's the acid culture's fault why there's no acid around. The vets who just take take take, have to give, and teach. The kids in school now are dumb. Dumber than you think. And who else to look up to than a personal Leary figgure?

Swim has the necessary knowledge in organic chemistry to maybe pull it off, however, since swim does not have the finances nor the means to synthesize LSD, this seems impossible. Swim doesn't thing that there will ever exist a way to produce it easily. If however, a briliant mind would find this, be sure that swim would be eternally gratefull for the oportunity to spread this miracle.

[DeathCell]

It's still floating around but it has for sure been a lot scarcer since 00', everyones into Mushrooms also.