Hallucinogenics in a Nutshell ___________________________________________________________________________________
Hallucinogens are powerful mind-altering drugs. They have the ability to cause changes in a person’s perception of reality. They affect the cerebral cortex of the brain, which controls the body’s sensory motor functions. They also disrupt the chemical messages that are sent from the brain to the rest of the body. Normally, neurotransmitters take messages from nerve cell (neuron) to nerve cell. When neurotransmitters attach to neurons, the message is relayed and the neuron cell changes in that way. Hallucinogenic substances cause these messages to be altered and deliver false messages or relay messages to the wrong parts of the body. This is called synaptic scrabbling. When this happens, the user may experience sensations that seem real such as seeing sounds and hearing colors, but they are not. We will talk about this again later on. Hallucinogenic substances are found in mushrooms, cactus plants and others are manufactured synthetically. The physical and psychological effects of these drugs depend on factors such as the user’s mood at the time of ingestion, environment, weight, height, gender and the expectations of the user. Although most hallucinogens do not create a physical dependence, they have an unknown potential for psychological dependence. PCP, for example, can bring about a very high psychological dependence.
LSD __________________________________
As I previously mentioned, LSD is a chemical that is extracted from ergot, a fungus that grows on grains. It was used medically to treat alcoholism, mental illness and cancer, but the results were so inconsistent that they discontinued using the drug therapeutically. Today, it is sold illegally in the streets under such names as Acid, Microdot, Trips, Barrels, Blotters, Lids, Cubes, California Sunshine, Wedges, Windowpane and Mellow Yellow. CRITICAL POINT: The effects of LSD depend largely on the amount taken. LSD causes dilated pupils; can raise body temperature and increase heart rate and blood pressure; and can cause profuse sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. LSD can be found on the streets in the form of capsules, tablets, clear liquid, thin squares of gelatin or blotter paper dipped in LSD. Blotter paper or sugar cubes are used so that it can be ingested orally. Effects