Drug website surveys LSD users and culture

Friday, December 23, 2005File:LSD blotter paper.jpg

Erowid, a website with the stated mission of “Documenting the Complex Relationship Between Humans & Psychoactives” has over the past few months been gathering data through a series of surveys about the drug LSD to present at the LSD Symposium, scheduled for January 2006 in Basel, Switzerland.

The website, a popular resource of information about psychoactive plants and chemicals, recently posted its fifth survey, querying users about their age, the number of times they’ve taken LSD and how that would be affected if LSD was legal. Past surveys have been longer and more thorough, asking users about the availability of the drug, positive and negative experiences, and if they’ve ever experienced LSD related “flashbacks”.

The LSD Symposium website states that it will include a panel of over sixty experts from around the world discussing a wide range of topics regarding LSD. Topics scheduled include, “The Discovery of LSD-25”, “Appraisal of Albert Hofmann’s life work” and “The History of Drug Policy” and several others.

LSD is a psychedelic drug known for its mind altering effects, including both visual and auditory hallucinations. LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938. Hofmann, a Swiss chemist discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD on April 16, 1943 when he accidentally absorbed it in its liquid form through his finger tips. Since then, it has been made illegal in most countries as a result of the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances which requires all parties of the convention to criminalize it in their countries.

Erowid, based in California, was created in October 1995, and is hailed by many as a reliable resource for information on drug and drug culture. The website includes information on legality issues, chemical information, user submitted experiences, positive and negative effects of individual drugs and other information.

“The Vaults of Erowid” — Erowid, December 23, 2005
“LSD Symposium” — Gaia Media Foundation, December 23, 2005

“LSD” — Wikipedia, December 23, 2005

“Albert Hofmann” — Wikipedia, December 23, 2005

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