LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a potent hallucinogen that can alter a persons perception of reality and vividly distort the senses. It is an illegal street drug that comes as a white powder or clear colorless liquid and is available in powder, liquid, tablet, or capsule form. LSD is a mind-altering drug that acts on the brain and changes mood, behavior, and the way a person relates to the world around them. LSD affects the action of a brain chemical called serotonin, which helps control behavior, mood, the senses, and thinking. LSD is in a class of drugs called hallucinogens, which are substances that cause hallucinations. LSD can harm the body in different ways and lead to health problems such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and body temperature, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, tremors, sweating, and mental problems, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.

LSD was originally derived from “ergot,” a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. LSD was the subject of numerous research studies in the 1950s and early 1960s, including investigating the therapeutic potential of the “psychedelic” experience in treating chronic alcoholism and mental illness, and in helping patients with terminal illnesses to accept death. However, concerns about the possible long-term effects of LSD led to new laws aimed at restricting its use. LSD currently has no medical use and is prohibited under Schedule III of Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Although LSD can trigger or worsen mental health problems such as anxiety, schizophrenia, or psychosis, research into the administration of LSD in a safe, therapeutic setting, involving a controlled dose, has shown positive results in treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and reducing anxiety in patients with a life-threatening disease. However, its effectiveness has not been fully proven by more recent scientific research.

In summary, LSD is an illegal street drug that can alter a persons perception of reality and vividly distort the senses. It is a mind-altering drug that acts on the brain and changes mood, behavior, and the way a person relates to the world around them. LSD can harm the body in different ways and lead to health problems such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and body temperature, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, tremors, sweating, and mental problems, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Although LSD was studied somewhat from the 1950s to the 1970s before it was placed on Schedule 1, it currently has no medical use and is prohibited under Schedule III of Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.