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Old 11-18-2009, 02:40 PM   #25
HalveBlue
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So much misinformation in this thread.

Unfortunately, all these rumors and "street knowledge", tend to obfuscate the issue and have the potential to do great harm.

In my opinion, the "War on Drugs" and has done more harm than good.

I'm a firm supporter of harm reduction efforts and believe that honest and upfront information is far more effective at reducing/eliminating the problems associated with drug use than the governments moralistic "drugs are bad, mmmkay" attitude.

So......



LSD: Lysergic acid diethylamide (Acid) was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in the late '30s while working for Sandoz Laboratories (a subsidiary of Novartis, one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations in the world). Hofmann was at the time researching potential medicinal uses for ergot, a fungus that occurs naturally and affects rye crops.

For years, the discovery LSD was considered medically insignificant and no further research was conducted. Sometime in the early to mid 1940's Hofmann conducted a series of self-experiments and discovered the intense psychological effects associated with LSD.

Although Hoffman was an ardent supporter of LSD, he probably didn't use LSD "non-stop" as someone pointed out. Hofmann, maintained that LSD had legitimate potential for use in psychotherapy (for which it was used in clinical trials throughout the 50's and 60's), and was quite distraught with the haphazard, recreational use advocated by the counter-culture.

LSD works by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is used to control mood, sleep, appetite, and digestive functions.

LSD, is not physically addictive and while extremely potent (LSD doses are measured in micro grams (1/1,000,000 of a gram); most other drugs are measured in terms of grams or milligrams) there have been no verified cases of a human dying from an LSD overdose.

Most injuries and deaths attributed to LSD use are due to perceptional and behavioral modification (i.e. a perceived ability to fly which results in people jumping from buildings).

Because of its ability to severely alter the psychological states of users, LSD has sometimes been linked to psychosis in a very small numbers of users. It should be pointed out however, that this phenomena has not been well studied and has in no way been clinically proven; regardless, the occurrence of psychosis is extremely small and should be considered anormal.




Mushrooms: Not all mushrooms are psychoactive, and a lot of mushrooms are toxic.

Psychoactive mushrooms (Magic Mushrooms, shrooms) naturally occur throughout the world and have been used by humans for millenia. Psychoactive mushrooms are non-toxic, thus there is no risk of overdose.

shrooms contain psilocybin which, upon ingestion, is converted into psilocin. Psilocin, like LSD, mimics serotonin, and binds to the serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is primarily found in the human digestive tract where it regulates the movement of the digestive organs (which helps explain the nausea and stomach cramps associated with mushroom use).

So, no, mushrooms do not poison you, the fungus does not grow in your body. Also, there is no threshold for LSD use that would classify someone as legally insane.

Disclaimer: LSD and Psilocybin mushrooms are considered Shedule I drugs under the Controlled Substance Act. Use and possession of these substances is considered illegal and may result in jail time.

Additionally, although neither substance is considered toxic, the changes in perception and behavior may increase the risk of injury or death.
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