Editing LSD (section)

====Production====
[[File:LSDLabGlassware.jpg|thumb|Glassware seized by the DEA.]]

An active dose of LSD is very minute, allowing a large number of doses to be synthesized from a comparatively small amount of raw material. Twenty-five kilograms of precursor [[ergotamine]] [[tartrate]] can produce 5–6&nbsp;kg of pure crystalline LSD; this corresponds to around 50–60&nbsp;million doses at 100&nbsp;μg. Because the masses involved are so small, concealing and transporting illicit LSD is much easier than smuggling [[cocaine]], [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]], or other illegal drugs.<ref name="DEA-pub">{{cite web|author=DEA |year=2007 |title=LSD Manufacture – Illegal LSD Production |url=https://fas.org/irp/agency/doj/dea/product/lsd/lsd-5.htm |website=LSD in the United States |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829023659/https://fas.org/irp/agency/doj/dea/product/lsd/lsd-5.htm|archive-date=August 29, 2007}}</ref>

Manufacturing LSD requires laboratory equipment and experience in the field of [[organic chemistry]]. It takes two to three days to produce 30 to 100 grams of pure compound. It is believed that LSD is not usually produced in large quantities, but rather in a series of small batches. This technique minimizes the loss of precursor chemicals in case a step does not work as expected.<ref name="DEA-pub"/> Ali Altaft, the lead chemist at the [[University of Okara]], in [[Punjab]], [[Pakistan]], performed the synthesis of LSD on video.<ref>{{Cite web | vauthors = Maravelias P |date=2024-12-18 |title=Willy Myco Just Released the First-Ever Video Demonstrating How to Synthesize LSD |url=https://doubleblindmag.com/willy-myco-lsd-synthesis-in-pakistan/ |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=DoubleBlind Mag |language=en-US}}</ref>

=====Forms=====
LSD is produced in crystalline form and is then mixed with [[excipient]]s or redissolved for production in ingestible forms. Liquid solution is either distributed in small vials or, more commonly, sprayed onto or soaked into a distribution medium. Historically, LSD solutions were first sold on sugar cubes, but practical considerations{{clarification needed|date=September 2024}} forced a change to [[Tablet (pharmacy)|tablet]] form. Appearing in 1968 as an orange tablet measuring about 6&nbsp;mm across, "Orange Sunshine" acid was the first largely available form of LSD after its possession was made illegal. [[Tim Scully]], a prominent chemist, made some of these tablets, but said that most "Sunshine" in the USA came by way of Ronald Stark, who imported approximately thirty-five million doses from Europe.<ref name=Stafford1992>{{cite book |vauthors=Stafford P |year=1992 |title=Psychedelics Encyclopaedia |chapter=Chapter 1 – The LSD Family |pages=62 |edition=3rd |publisher=Ronin Publishing |isbn=978-0-914171-51-5}}</ref>

Over some time, tablet dimensions, weight, shape and concentration of LSD evolved from large (4.5–8.1&nbsp;mm diameter), heavyweight (≥150&nbsp;mg), round, high concentration (90–350&nbsp;μg/tab) dosage units to small (2.0–3.5&nbsp;mm diameter) lightweight (as low as 4.7&nbsp;mg/tab), variously shaped, lower concentration (12–85&nbsp;μg/tab, average range 30–40&nbsp;μg/tab) dosage units. LSD tablet shapes have included cylinders, cones, stars, spacecraft, and heart shapes. The smallest tablets became known as "Microdots."<ref name=Laing2003>{{cite book |vauthors=Laing RR, Beyerstein BL, Siegel JA |year=2003 |title=Hallucinogens: A Forensic Drug Handbook |chapter=Chapter 2.2 – Forms of the Drug |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l1DrqgobbcwC |pages=39–41 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-433951-4 |access-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202134552/https://books.google.com/books?id=l1DrqgobbcwC |url-status=live}}</ref>

After tablets came "computer acid" or "blotter paper LSD," typically made by dipping a preprinted sheet of [[blotting paper]] into an LSD/water/alcohol solution.<ref name=Stafford1992/><ref name=Laing2003/> More than 200 types of LSD tablets have been encountered since 1969 and more than 350 blotter paper designs have been observed since 1975.<ref name=Laing2003/> About the same time as blotter paper LSD came "Windowpane" (AKA "Clearlight"), which contained LSD inside a thin [[gelatin]] square a quarter of an inch (6&nbsp;mm) across.<ref name=Stafford1992/> <!-- Please do not add any street names here unless you can provide evidence for their notability and importance! Additions not referenced to a reliable source will be removed immediately. The goal of an encyclopedia is to provide a "ready reference" of key concepts, not give an exhaustive list of every detail.--> LSD has been sold under a wide variety of often short-lived and regionally restricted street names including Acid, Trips, Uncle Sid, Blotter, [[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds|Lucy]], Alice and doses, as well as names that reflect the designs on the sheets of blotter paper.<ref name="erowid-faq"/><ref>{{cite web| title=Street Terms: Drugs and the Drug Trade| date=April 5, 2005| url=http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/ByType.asp?intTypeID=6| publisher=[[Office of National Drug Control Policy]]| access-date=January 31, 2007| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418031446/http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetTerms/ByType.asp?intTypeID=6| archive-date=April 18, 2009}}</ref> Authorities have encountered the drug in other forms—including powder or crystal, and capsule.<ref>{{cite web |author=DEA |year=2008 |title=Photo Library (page 2) |publisher=US Drug Enforcement Administration |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/photo_library2.html#lsd |access-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623111640/http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/photo_library2.html |archive-date=June 23, 2008}}</ref>

======Blotters======
[[Blotter art]] designs printed on blotter paper can serve to identify dosage strengths, different batches, or makers.<ref name="Sfetcu">{{cite book |last1=Sfetcu |first1=Nicolae |title=Health & Drugs: Disease, Prescription & Medication |date=2014 |publisher=Nicolae Sfetcu |page=1958 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8jF-AwAAQBAJ&dq=acid+blotter+art&pg=PA1958 |language=en |access-date=2023-07-14 |archive-date=2023-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230714011256/https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=8jF-AwAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PA1958&dq=acid%20blotter%20art&pg=PA1958#v=onepage&q=acid%20blotter%20art&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the other hand, blotters without art may be considered safer by some, since there is no guarantee that the [[ink cartridge|printer ink]] used in clandestine production is edible or non-toxic for long-term exposure, and it is also possible for unscrupulous dealers to mimic reputable blotter art designs in order to boost sales.

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=====Modern distribution=====
LSD manufacturers and traffickers in the United States can be categorized into two groups: A few large-scale producers, and an equally limited number of small, clandestine chemists, consisting of independent producers who, operating on a comparatively limited scale, can be found throughout the country.<ref>{{cite book |vauthors=MacLean JR, Macdonald DC, Ogden F, Wilby E |chapter=LSD-25 and mescaline as therapeutic adjuvants. |veditors=Abramson H |title=The Use of LSD in Psychotherapy and Alcoholism |publisher=Bobbs-Merrill |location=New York |date=1967 |pages=407–426}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |vauthors=Ditman KS, Bailey JJ |chapter=Evaluating LSD as a psychotherapeutic agent |veditors=Hoffer A |title=A program for the treatment of alcoholism: LSD, malvaria, and nicotinic acid |pages=353–402}}</ref>

As a group, independent producers are of less concern to the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] than the large-scale groups because their product reaches only local markets.<ref name="LSD: The Drug"/>

Many LSD dealers and chemists describe a religious or humanitarian purpose that motivates their illicit activity. Nicholas Schou's book ''Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World'' describes one such group, [[the Brotherhood of Eternal Love]]. The group was a major American LSD trafficking group in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors=Schou N |title=Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World |date=2010 |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |url=https://archive.org/details/orangesunshinebr00scho_0 |url-access=registration |isbn=9780312551834}}</ref>

In the second half of the 20th century, dealers and chemists loosely associated with the [[Grateful Dead]] like [[Owsley Stanley]], [[Nicholas Sand]], Karen Horning, Sarah Maltzer, "Dealer McDope," and [[Leonard Pickard]] played an essential role in distributing LSD.<ref name=Jarnow>{{cite book| vauthors=Jarnow J |title=Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America |date=2016 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=9780306822551}}</ref>

====={{anchor|N-Bomb}} Mimics=====
[[File:Docpsychadelic.jpg|thumb|LSD blotter acid mimic actually containing DOC.]]
[[File:Lysergic.JPG|thumb|Different blotters which could possibly be mimics.]]

Since 2005, law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere has seized several chemicals and combinations of chemicals in blotter paper which were sold as LSD mimics, including [[2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine|DOB]],<ref name="microgram october 2005">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=October 2005 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |volume=38 |issue=10 |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2005/mg1005.pdf |title=LSD Blotter Acid Mimic Containing 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-amphetamine (DOB) Seized Near Burns, Oregon |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018052304/http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2005/mg1005.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name="microgram november 2006">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=November 2006 |volume=39 |issue=11 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |page=136 |title=Intelligence Alert – Blotter Acid Mimics (Containing 4-Bromo-2,5-Dimethoxy-Amphetamine (DOB)) in Concord, California |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2006/mg1106.pdf |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018052155/http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2006/mg1106.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> a mixture of [[2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine|DOC]] and [[2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine|DOI]],<ref name="microgram march 2008">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=March 2008 |volume=41 |issue=3 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2008/mg0308.pdf |title=Unusual "Rice Krispie Treat"-Like Balls Containing Psilocybe Mushroom Parts in Warren County, Missouri |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017234315/http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2008/mg0308.pdf |archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> [[25I-NBOMe]],<ref name="ACMD Report">{{cite web| vauthors=Iversen L |title=Temporary Class Drug Order Report on 5-6APB and NBOMe compounds |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/204808/J_TCDO_report_on_5-6APB_and_NBOMe_compounds.pdf |website=Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs |publisher=Gov.Uk |access-date=June 16, 2013 |date=May 29, 2013 |pages=14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921234700/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/204808/J_TCDO_report_on_5-6APB_and_NBOMe_compounds.pdf|archive-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref> and a mixture of [[2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine|DOC]] and [[2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine|DOB]].<ref name="microgram march 2009">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=March 2009 |volume=42 |issue=3 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2009/mg0309.pdf |title="Spice" – Plant Material(s) Laced With Synthetic Cannabinoids or Cannabinoid Mimicking Compounds |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118165818/http://www.justice.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/mg0309/mg0309.html |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref> Many mimics are toxic in comparatively small doses, or have extremely different safety profiles. Many street users of LSD are often under the impression that blotter paper which is actively hallucinogenic can only be LSD because that is the only chemical with low enough doses to fit on a small square of blotter paper. While it is true that LSD requires lower doses than most other hallucinogens, blotter paper is capable of absorbing a much larger amount of material. The DEA performed a [[chromatographic]] analysis of blotter paper containing [[2C-C]] which showed that the paper contained a much greater concentration of the active chemical than typical LSD doses, although the exact quantity was not determined.<ref name="microgram november 2005">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=November 2005 |volume=38 |issue=11 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2005/mg1105.pdf |title=Bulk Marijuana in Hazardous Packaging in Chicago, Illinois |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018052300/http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2005/mg1105.pdf |archive-date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> Blotter LSD mimics can have relatively small dose squares; a sample of blotter paper containing [[2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine|DOC]] seized by [[Concord, California]] police had dose markings approximately 6&nbsp;mm apart.<ref name="microgram december 2007">{{Cite journal |journal=Microgram Bulletin |date=December 2007 |volume=40 |issue=12 |author=United States Drug Enforcement Administration |url=http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2007/mg1207.pdf |title=SMALL HEROIN DISKS NEAR GREENSBORO, GEORGIA |access-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017234332/http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/micrograms/2007/mg1207.pdf |archive-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> Several deaths have been attributed to 25I-NBOMe.<ref name="Erowid25I-NBOMe">{{cite web |url=https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/2ci_nbome/2ci_nbome_death.shtml |title=25I-NBOMe (2C-I-NBOMe) Fatalities / Deaths |publisher=Erowid |access-date=February 28, 2016 |author=Erowid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305193143/https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/2ci_nbome/2ci_nbome_death.shtml |archive-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref><ref name="NY Daily news">{{cite news| vauthors=Hastings D |title=New drug N-bomb hits the street, terrifying parents, troubling cops |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/new-synthetic-hallucinogen-n-bomb-killing-users-cops-article-1.1336327 |access-date=May 7, 2013 |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=May 6, 2013 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510103039/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/new-synthetic-hallucinogen-n-bomb-killing-users-cops-article-1.1336327|archive-date=May 10, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Ireland injuries">{{cite news|vauthors=Feehan C |title=Powerful N-Bomb drug – responsible for spate of deaths internationally – responsible for hospitalisation of six in Cork |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/powerful-nbomb-drug-responsible-for-spate-of-deaths-internationally-responsible-for-hospitalisation-of-six-in-cork-34384507.html|access-date=January 22, 2016|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=January 21, 2016 |archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412203933/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/powerful-nbomb-drug-responsible-for-spate-of-deaths-internationally-responsible-for-hospitalisation-of-six-in-cork-34384507.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ACMD Report2">{{cite web |vauthors=Iversen L |title=Temporary Class Drug Order Report on 5-6APB and NBOMe compounds |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/204808/J_TCDO_report_on_5-6APB_and_NBOMe_compounds.pdf |website=Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs |publisher=Gov.Uk |access-date=June 16, 2013 |date=May 29, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921234700/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/204808/J_TCDO_report_on_5-6APB_and_NBOMe_compounds.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref>