OFFICIAL NAMES: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), LSD25

STREET NAMES: Acid, zen, sugar, tabs, blotter, cid, doses, trips, boomers, lightning flash, hawk, cheer, liquid acid, L, microdot, dot, paper mushrooms, tab, hits, tripper, yellow sunshines, rainbows, smilies, stars, strawberries

DRUG CLASSIFICATIONS: Schedule I, hallucinogen

Overview

Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, is the most potent and widely used of the category of drugs known as hallucinogenics. Hallucinogenic drugs, also called psychedelics, distort and confuse the senses, making people see, hear, feel, smell, or taste things that are not really there. The word hallucinate comes from a Latin word meaning "to wander in the mind." LSD falls into the category of hallucinogenic drugs called indole hallucinogens. This means it is derived from ergot, which is a fungus that grows on grains, particularly rye.

With respect to its hallucinogenic properties, LSD affects vision most strongly, although it can...