Download LSD Possession

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is the most potent hallucinogen known to science,
as well as the most highly studied. LSD was originally synthesized in 1938 by Dr.
Albert Hoffman.
However, its hallucinogenic effects were unknown until 1943 when Hoffman
accidentally consumed some LSD. It was later found that an oral dose of as little as
0.000025 grams (or 25 micrograms, equal in weight to a few grains of salt) is
capable of producing rich and vivid hallucinations. LSD was popularized in the 1960s
by individuals like Timothy Leary who encouraged American students to "turn on,
tune in, and drop out." LSD use has varied over the years but it still remains a
significant drug of abuse. In 1999, over 12 percent of high school seniors and college
students reported that they had used LSD at least once in their lifetime.
Because of its structural similarity to a chemical present in the brain and its similarity
in effects to certain aspects of psychosis, LSD was used as a research tool to study
mental illness. The average effective oral dose is from 20 to 80 micrograms with the
effects of higher doses lasting for 10 to 12 hours. LSD is usually sold in the form of
impregnated paper (blotter acid), typically imprinted with colorful graphic designs. It
has also been encountered in tablets (microdots), thin squares of gelatin (window
panes), in sugar cubes and, rarely, in liquid form.
Physical reactions may include dilated pupils, lowered body temperature, nausea,
"goose bumps," profuse perspiration, increased blood sugar, and rapid heart rate.
During the first hour after ingestion, the user may experience visual changes with
extreme changes in mood. In the hallucinatory state, the user may suffer impaired
depth and time perception, accompanied by distorted perception of the size and
shape of objects, movements, color; sound, touch, and the users own body image.
During this period, the users' ability to perceive objects through the senses is
distorted: they may describe "hearing colors" and "seeing sounds." The ability to
make sensible judgments and see common dangers is impaired, making the user
susceptible to personal injury. After LSD "trip," the user may suffer acute anxiety or
depression for a variable period of time. Flashbacks have been reported days or even
months after taking the last dose.
TRAFFICKING
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) remains available in retail quantities in virtually
every state.
LSD production reportedly is centered on the West Coast, particularly in San
Francisco, northern California, the Pacific Northwest, and recently the Midwest. Since
the 1960s, LSD has been manufactured illegally within the United States. LSD
production is a time-consuming and complex procedure. Several chemical recipes for
synthesizing LSD are on the Internet, but clandestine production requires a high
degree of chemical expertise. Chemists maintain tight control at the production level,
but do not necessarily participate in the distribution of the drug.
These chemists usually sell the crystal LSD product to one or two trusted associates,
insulating themselves from the wholesale distributors.
Few LSD laboratories have ever been seized in the United States because of
infrequent and irregular production cycles. In 2000, DEA seized one LSD laboratory
that was located in a converted missile silo in Kansas. LSD is produced in crystal
form that is converted to liquid and distributed primarily in the form of squares of
blotter paper saturated with the liquid. To a lesser extent, LSD is sold as a liquid,
contained in breath mint bottles and vials; in gelatin tab form ("window panes") of
varying colors; and in pill form known as "microdots."
Distribution of LSD is unique within the drug culture. A proliferation of mail order
sales has created a marketplace where the sellers are virtually unknown to the
buyers, giving the highest-level traffickers considerable insulation from drug law
enforcement operations. The vast majority of users are middle-class adolescents and
young adults attracted by its low prices. Rock concerts continue to be favorite
distribution sites for LSD traffickers; however, distribution at raves throughout the
United States is becoming more popular. Contacts made at raves and concerts are
used to establish future transactions and shipments of larger quantities of LSD.
Charges are as follow:
2925.11(A) Possession of Drugs:
No person shall knowingly obtain, possess, or use a controlled substance.
2925.11(C)(5) Possession of Drugs, L.S.D.
(5) If the drug involved in the violation is L.S.D., whoever violates division (A) of this
section is guilty of possession of L.S.D. The penalty for the offense shall be
determined as follows:
a) Except as otherwise provided in division (C) (5) (b), (c), (d), (e), or (f) of this
section, possession of L.S.D. is a felony of the fifth degree, and division (B) of
section 2929.13 of the Revised Code applies in determining whether to
impose a prison term on the offender (Less than 10 unit doses-solid or less
than one gram- liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate).
b) If the amount of L.S.D. involved equals or exceeds ten unit doses but is less
than fifty unit doses of L.S.D. in a solid form or equals or exceeds one gram
but is less than five grams of L.S.D. in a liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or
liquid distillate form, possession of L.S.D. is a felony of the fourth degree, and
division (C) of section 2929.13 of the Revised Code applies in determining
whether to impose a prison term on the offender.
c) If the amount of L.S.D. involved equals or exceeds fifty unit doses, but is less
than two hundred fifty unit doses of L.S.D. in a solid form or equals or
exceeds five grams but is less than twenty-five grams of L.S.D. in a liquid
concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form, possession of L.S.D. is a
felony of the third degree, and there is a presumption for a prison term for
the offense.
d) If the amount of L.S.D. involved equals or exceeds two hundred fifty unit
doses but is less than one thousand unit doses of L.S.D. in a solid form or
equals or exceeds twenty-five grams but is less than one hundred grams of
L.S.D. in a liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form,
possession of L.S.D. is a felony of the second degree, and the court shall
impose as a mandatory prison term one of the prison terms prescribed for a
felony of the second degree.
e) If the amount of L.S.D. involved equals or exceeds one thousand unit doses
but is less than five thousand unit doses of L.S.D. in a solid form or equals or
exceeds one hundred grams but is less than five hundred grams of L.S.D. in a
liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form, possession of L.S.D.
is a felony of the first degree, and the court shall impose as a mandatory
prison term one of the prison terms prescribed for a felony of the first degree.
f) If the amount of L.S.D. involved equals or exceeds five thousand unit doses of
L.S.D. in a solid form or equals or exceeds five hundred grams of L.S.D. in a
liquid concentrate, liquid extract, or liquid distillate form, possession of L.S.D.
is a felony of the first degree, the offender is a major drug offender, and the
court shall impose as a mandatory prison term the maximum prison term
prescribed for a felony of the first degree and may impose an additional
mandatory prison term prescribed for a major drug offender under division
(D) (3) (b) of section 2929.14 of the Revised Code.