Why is LSD use down

Apr 7, 2004 drugs suggest edit

LSD use is way down in recent years, according to arrest records, hospital records, and surveys with high schoolers. Slate looked into it, and came up with two reasons why. First and foremost, the DEA busted a couple of guys in rural Kansas back in 2000, who supplied 95 percent of the country’s acid. The other reason is the breakup of the Grateful Dead.

“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.”

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[Via Boing Boing]

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Comments

20 responses

david kurtz • December 26th, 2004
The most powerful hallucinogenic drug (LSD) is still there out there... you just gotta look a little bit harder for it. LSD, only one teaspoon would mentally incapacitate a city the size of Binghamton NY. You can make your own really good legal mixture hallucinogenic, not comparable to LSD, but decent. Woodrose seed, Henbane, Bell Donna, etc. If you never tried it, I recommend it at least once in a lifetime. One of the many best life experiences ever. Mushrooms, Mescaline, and LSD. Been there done that, many times... Incredible!
BOBB • March 28th, 2005
I ate it all
Zig Zagler • April 24th, 2005
The fact that there are not many suppliers of the drug is a direct result of the lack of demand for the drug. If LSD was still a popular drug among young people, more individuals with the knowledge of LSD manufacture would take the risk of making it. The bottom line is that there is not as much money to be made making LSD as there has been in the past. The simple rules of supply and demand have tapered off LSD manufacture.
DJ JC • May 25th, 2005
LSD is down because of XTC
Eric • May 26th, 2005
Its down because of a lot of things (eg: Price , Price against other trips, availability, fear of duds)
jiffylube2000 • May 30th, 2005
becuase assholes keep busting the people who make it, leave us alone, where doing no harm
J • June 2nd, 2005
LSD use is reportedly down partly due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to test and prove LSD is present in someones system after 12 hours, most other drugs can be detected for 24-48 hours. So hospitals/police can't prove you have taken it. Obviously other club druugs/hallucinogenics have become much more affordable and available as well which has had an effect.
master chief • June 5th, 2005
its not,,, in Columbus Ohio 40,000 hits of high potent lsd was seized in a raid.
ko-little • June 7th, 2005
Demand is certainly not the problem. Sure alternatives have been found, but if lsd were to find its way back to being readily available, it would quickly find it's market again. Now and then when it does make its way into the midwest, the small amount which arrives is eaten up in a matter of days because people are so happy to see it again. Not to mention, people are willing to pay prices which would be absolutely outrageous 5 years ago. In fact, they're almost desperate to pay the prices. It will make its comeback one day when a chemist who is organized is driven enough to make it happen. Its far too easy and cheap to produce for it to be gone forever.
preston • June 15th, 2005
because people are afraid that they will get ripped off and not tripp.Plus there is the use of many other drugs that people are interested in besides lsd.
Split-Thrice • June 15th, 2005
I know that quite a number of dealers would be sold out if they ever made their way to Va. That shit is ridiculous.
Derek • June 17th, 2005
It's most definitely due to a combination of these three things, in order of importance:

1) Investment vs. return: LSD requires extremely hard to acquire precursors, a long, involved synthesis process requiring advanced chemistry knowledge, and a single batch produces hundreds of thousands of doses, meaning that if you get caught, you're in for some serious jail time.

2) Scarcity (due to #1): LSD use is down because it is hard to find. Most LSD users have switched to mushrooms -- they have similar effects, shorter (more convenient) duration, are easier to find, and can be grown at home without any chemistry knowledge or restricted chemicals.

3) Demand: First of all, LSD isn't addictive, so you don't have people who will do anything for a "fix". Secondly, most people today don't have the time or freedom to take a day off away from everything to go tripping. Lastly, young people today far prefer marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol -- drugs they can do without getting too much trouble from authority figures.
erik • June 18th, 2005
man you tell me why the fuck this shit is down. I want some so fucking bad you dont even know. Im fucking angry. Im reading all these stories about how all these people had so much fun when there tripping, so where the fuck is my lsd? I only tried that shit once and then my hook up got fucking busted.
dan • March 31st, 2006
sombody needs to jsut come up with a way to explaine how to make it in plain simple terms. Theres has to be way. i don't care if it's a 400 page book, we need a making lsd for dumies.
Mad Hatter • April 2nd, 2006
Yo I'll tell you why LSD use is down. No one wants to spent 10 hours tripping no more. People want a quick, easy fix. They want fun, not spiritual enlightenment. The kids these days don't understand drugs like LSD. they'd much rather prefer their ecstasy or cocaine because they need their over-stimulated mind to be even more stimulated. LSD is for those who have patience. there aint no more patient kids no more. When i told my friend they he had to wait at least 40 minutes for the trip to hit them, he bit me. Peace and Love.
GIM • April 4th, 2006
First of all, LSD is needed right now. Our time is disected, analyzed, connected and exploited by technology, media and most of our friends and family. We are connected by cell phones, PDA's, and God knows what else.
Everyone, take off your cell for a few hours, disconnect and find a nice comfortable place in your living room or beautiful natural surrounding with a couple of good friends, good music, some drinks (for later) and weed and take at least 80-400+ micrograms (obviously the 400 mics for the experienced psychonauts) of LSD and enjoy the timeless voyage.
The reason why LSD is scarce is because the two gentlemen who produced 95% of it were busted. I'm sure I had a lot of their product back in the day (1985-1990) because it was so clean and predictable. Very nice, creative, intellectual, colorful stuff.
Bad and often erroneous press didn't help.
So, someone please make tons of it (the mean, mean world needs it)and until then remember your "Set and Setting" guidelines kiddies and take those lovely mushrooms and hold down the psychedelic fort.
....from your upstanding citizen, GIM
Tobin • May 25th, 2006
its down because people got so dumb from all the acid they used to take and now they cant remember how to make it
jabin • May 29th, 2006
LSD is too scary for the hip hop ego commercial vibes now. It's too scary to trip and let go your surrounding..too much social pressure.
Soon or later it's gonna come back and we'll all laugh again together.
Till then... Keep it underground
Boom
Quantumsativa • July 19th, 2006
Im so mad that I wasnt born on the 60's, I love to play psychedelic with my 40 year old friends, I am 19 by the way, I love the psychedelic scence, and what I have observe is that most of the teens now are to afraid to take LSD, they are too hook-up and adicted with the media, fashion, cocaine quick fixes, they dont have patience or the will to receive new information about life, there is no life anymore, now there is what other people think of you, and material drugs, fashion and shit, that just does not make any sense to me, where is the wisdom?, stupid celebrity stuff, and more waste of time TV shit, People now waste precious time of life in lame activities just like the 50's or worst, This is why I said this has to end, and something has to be done because if this does not stop, were going into ignorance. sucks,
not important • July 25th, 2006
im working on it