THE FACTS.



I don't have this thing referenced, I don't have anywhere near the time...



LSD does not cause any chronic physiological or neurological damage. period.



LSD does not produce a psychotic state.  LSD is not a psychotomimetic

drug in the literal use of the word.  I've experienced true drug psychosis

before, and LSD just ain't close...



LSD may produce chronic visual "tracers" -- probably as a result of receptor

changes in the sensory pathways of the brain.  This is not damage.  Some

people have these naturally, particularly in the morning.  I've gotten

them from prescription drugs, which caused this and enhanced my vision at

the same time (QED, I'm not complaining...).



LSD may cause mild "flashbacks" (IMHO a misuse of the word) which is really

just state-dependent learning.  Users sometimes can get themselves into a

slightly shifted perspective when a stimulus is similar to one experienced

while on LSD, or if one is familiar enough with the LSD state they can

sometimes create this mild perspective shift themself.



LSD may produce thick chronic visual "tracers" which interfere with vision.

This is very rare, and is not "damage" per se since it is reversible with

drug therapy (probably neuroleptics, but I'm not positive).  Most users if

they report anything report the benign type.



LSD may produce a sydrome resembling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  This

is due to a massively bad trip...  Here is where you get your honest-to-god

flashbacks from.  Its also not very common.



LSD may produce a schizophrenic break in someone already suscpetible to

schizophrenia, again due to the psychological trauma of an extraordinarly

bad trip.  This, however, is a case of "if it didn't happen on LSD, it 

would've happened at some point".



The frequency of the above three chronic effects is less than 2:1000 which

is about the same as the *normal* frequency of schizophrenia in the 

population.  Conclusion:  normal people that drop acid remain normal people,

people with schizophrenic tendencies or other psychological disorders get

more fucked up.  And I bet the guy who was distributing that pamphlet on the

evils of LSD probably had a schizophrenic break which is why he was so

damn concerned with it changing your personality...



***NEW ARTICLE***



Any chance you can straighten this guy out on a few things?



>    - LSD causes distortions in thinking and feeling and its chemical 

>      structure causes hallucinations and delusions and changes, permanently

>      the chemistry of the brain.



There is no conclusive evidence of such a thing, no matter what he may

feel.  It's more likely he's imprinted a "permanent" psychological change

to his brain.



>    - dizziness, weaknesses, tremors, nausea and parathesis are prominent

>      bodily symptoms



Not necessarily by any stretch.  Not to mention, you could claim the same

symptoms for alcohol and any of a dozen other drugs.



>    - psychological aspects include paranoia, irreversible personality

>      changes, depression after and during use can bring on suicidal thoughts

>      to escape traumatic feelings and emotions



Only if you're unstable, and in a frightening environment.  A user has

a duty to his/herself to stay where they know they can handle the setting.

If your mindset is positive and your setting is safe (to you) then you

can avoid these problems easily.



>    - physical damages include depletion of brain cells thus brain damage,

>      chromosomal mutations and damages to the nervous system



This is utter bullshit.  None of these effects have been shown significantly.

The most widely quoted study "demonstrating" chromosomal damage used aspirin and caffiene as controls,

and they produced MORE damage than the LSD.  Not to mention, it studies the effects of these drugs on

cells in Petri

dishes at incredible concentrations, which really has little bearing on the

state your body is in when using them.



>    - LSD is used in experimentation to produce a state of hyper arousal

>      of the central nervous system. It is used to induce psychotic 

>      reactions and other such feelings akin to psychosis and madness



This is also BS, as spouted by the medical establishment of the 60's. The reason they got psychotic

results is because they didn't pay any attention to the importance of set and setting.



>    - LSD is tastless, odourless and invisible thus you can never tell if

>      it actually is a trip you are getting, or something stronger like PCP



This is a good argument against all forms of acid except blotter.  I don't think you can get enough

PCP on a blotter square to mess you up.



>    - PCP (Angel Dust) produces a form of sensory isolation that is stronger

>      than LSD; disorientation, distortion of body image, complete numbness,

>      sweating, rapid heart rate and hyper tension. A slight overdose can 

>      shut down the central nervous system and lead to death.



PCP is an animal tranquilizer.  I don't recommend it either.



>...I have tried to research and put onto paper facts about LSD usage and 

>related hallucinogenic drugs. I have provided you with only medical facts

>excluding medical opinion,



This is false.  The "facts" cited are not, and the info about "psycotic reactions" is opinion.  There

is a small percentage of the population that is susceptable to psychotic reactions to LSD, but if one

is not stupid in wantonly abusing the drug the vast majority of times it's safe.  (You could get drunk

and fall off a high stair or get run over by a car too now).



>Once you reach your ultimate experience, your personality will change 

>dramatically and there is nothing you can do to change what you encountered.



1) I have yet to see such a permanent radical phenomenon in anyone I've known to take LSD.

2) your personality changes some every day.  The point is?



>You will never know what you are buying, it may be labelled a trip but you

>don't know what it really is, where it comes from, who made it or what is 

>in it.



This is the only valid point he makes.  It's VERY important not to rely on shady strangers for things

like this.



>	Finally, you think its or 'just a trip', be careful this is the biggest

>distortion of the drug. Ask anyone outside the drug culture, perhaps a G.P.

>he will advise you to stay away from those drugs, not because he is

>exaggerating, but because they know the facts, their views about the drug

>aren't distorted."



"Anyone outside the drug culture" is probably parroting the same tired mistaken ideas (like

chromosomal damage) that have been being used to try to scare people off "the drug" since the 60's. 

Their views ARE distorted because they can't seem to think critically about the fact that the studies

show pretty well that under controlled (but not sterile) conditions, LSD is one of the safest drugs

you can take.



>Even though a lot of you out there may know most of these facts I thought

>I'd post it anyway. I'd appreciate any comments because I think it's 

>important for the ravers of the world to atleast come to terms with what

>they are doing.



I don't recommend any illegal drug--it will likely get you arrested.



But the hyperbolic rationalizations of the establishment about what horrible things drugs will do to

you are exactly that--exaggerated rationalizations.  It sounds like this guy had a bad trip and went

into anti-drug mode because he scared himself shitless.  This can happen, but is unlikely IF YOU ARE

CAREFUL about sources, set, and setting.  If anyone in alt.rave cares, I'm sure someone can manage to

post the LSD FAQ from alt.drugs here.  It is considerably more factual and cites specific studies (if

I recall correctly) supporting its facts