| LSD Essay, Research Paper
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Las Vegas has always been known as the city of sin, and the movie
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas corroborates this belief. From drug
experimentation to gambling, this movie portrays a surprisingly thoughtful
glance into the mind of addiction and of drug usage. Though various drugs
were used in this movie, psychedelics seemed to be the drugs of choice for
the characters. The focus of this paper is to define the hallucinogens by using
it?s most popular member, LSD. After LSD has been adequately defined, a
comparison of the drug and the portrayal of the drug in this movie will be
addressed.
Before LSD is outlined, here is a brief introduction to the movie in
case you haven?t seen it yet. The movie is set in the early seventies, and the
main character is sent to Las Vegas to write an article on an annual
motorcycle race. Under the advice of his estranged lawyer, both ride out to
Las Vegas in a non-stop LSD and mescaline trip. Not only are these two
drugs abused, but other drugs such as ether, cocaine, marijuana, Thorazine,
and a variety of uppers and downers are also abused. As the main character
experiments with the different drugs, the audience can hear his thoughts as
they ramble from extreme paranoia to thoughtful insights. This aspect of the
movie is important because along with great special effects and distorted
sounds, it is a fairly realistic view into the thoughts and actions of a person
on a psychedelic drug. To better describe these thoughts and actions, here is
an explanation of LSD and it?s effects on the body.
The history of LSD doesn?t go back very far. It?s full name is lysergic
acid diethylamide, and it was synthesized for the first time in 1938 by Albert
Hofmann in Basel, Switzerland, who was looking for a blood stimulant. It
was basically untouched until five years later, when Hofmann accidentally
experienced a small amount during a routine synthesis. It was at this time that
the psychoactive elements were made known. The first article on LSD was
written by Werner Stoll in the Swiss Archives of Neurology in 1947. During
the early 1950?s the CIA became aware of the drug, and organized the
infamous Project MK-Ultra, which led to the suicide of a patient who was
given LSD. Use of LSD rose rapidly until 1967, when it was banned
federally by the U.S. government. On October 27, 1970, the Comprehensive
Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act was passed, which made
hallucinogens a Schedule 1 drug. LSD use tapered off until the nineties,
where a resurgence of the drug is occurring, especially among adolescent use.
Pure LSD is a white, odorless crystalline powder that is soluble in
water. It can be administered to the body in several ways, the most common
being oral ingestion through paper, sugar cubes, gelatin, or by pill. LSD may
also be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, or smoked. After the
drug enters the body, it normally takes between 15 minutes to an hour for the
psychoactive properties to take effect. Once the ?trip? begins, it will continue
for an average of six to eight hours. A typical dosage of LSD is around 150 -
300 micrograms, and the effects of the drug depend on several factors:
the amount taken at one time
the user?s past drug experience
the manner in which the drug is taken
the circumstances in which the drug is taken
These factors are especially important with LSD, because the effects on any
user, or even the same user at a different time, are difficult to predict.
The normal physical reactions to LSD usually include dilated pupils,
lowered body temperature, nausea, goose bumps, profuse perspiration,
muscle weakness and trembling, impaired motor skills and coordination, lose
of appetite, increased blood sugar, and a rapid heart rate. The initial effects
begin with a feeling of euphoria and dizziness, followed by
pseudo-hallucinations. Pseudo-hallucinations are hallucinations that the user
is aware of but knows isn?t real. In the hallucinatory state, distortions of time
and distance occur, accompanied by a distorted perception of the size and
shape of objects, movements, color, sound, touch, and the user’s own body
image. The body?s senses become fused together, explaining why users are
able to see music and hear colors. Usually feelings of a mystical or cosmic
nature fill the person taking LSD, and reflections on the self and the world
around are common.
Adverse effects of LSD are feelings of paranoia, fear, anxiety, and
depression. These reactions are indications of a ?bad trip?. In these ?bad
trips?, the pseudo-hallucinations give way to terrifyingly true hallucinations
that the user can?t control or stop. These hallucinations sometimes result in
violence, homicide, or suicide. There are no reported deaths of exclusive
LSD overdose, but cases of suicides that occurred while the individual was
intoxicated with LSD have taken place. Tests on chromosomal damage that
may be linked to LSD are still being studied, but there is no significant proof
to support this hypothesis. The most common adverse effect of LSD are the
flashbacks that may occur after prolonged LSD usage. The flashbacks
experienced are often visual images ranging from formless colors to
frightening hallucinations. The cause of these flashbacks are still unknown,
but researchers do know that these usually occur after an LSD user smokes
cannabis.
Tolerance to LSD?s hallucinatory and physical effects develop rapidly,
making larger amounts of the drug necessary to produce the same effects. If
the drug is taken consecutively over a period of days, no amount of LSD will
cause any significant change in the mood of the user. Also, if the drug is
discontinued for a period of days, the hallucinatory and physical properties
occur again, even in small doses. There is no physical dependence to LSD,
but a few users develop a psychological dependence to the drug.
The production of LSD has been done illegally since the 1960?s. A
limited number of chemists, the DEA thinks less than a dozen, are believed
to be manufacturing nearly all of the LSD available in the United States.
These chemists, or ?cooks? as they are referred to, are located somewhere in
Northern California in or near San Francisco. LSD commonly is produced
from lysergic acid, which is made from ergotamine tartrate, a substance
derived from an ergot fungus on rye, or from lysergic acid amide, a chemical
found in morning glory seeds. Lysergic acid and lysergic acid amide are both
classified in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Only a small
amount of ergotamine tartrate is required to produce LSD in large batches, so
this makes it even harder for law agencies to stop the process. The ?cooking?
of LSD is very time consuming, taking from 2 to 3 days to produce 1 to 4
ounces of the crystalline powder. Impurities are often found in the finished
product, especially those cooked up by independent people who are selling to
their limited location. These impurities don?t change the effects of the LSD,
but it will usually lower the potency of it.
Scientists are still uncertain of the mechanism of action of LSD and
other psychedelics, but the following is a popular belief held by scientists that
is found in Biological Mechanisms by S.J. Watson. ?LSD acts to
preferentially inhibit serotonergic cell firing and seems to spare postsynaptic
serotnergic receptors. This preference is shared by other similar hallucinogens
but in a limited fashion. Nonhallucinogenic analogs of LSD show no
preference. These results suggest that there are two different steric
conformation of serotonergic receptors, one of which has higher affinity for
LSD than the other. In general, 5-ht is an inhibitory transmitter; thus, when
its activity is decreased, the next neuron in the chain is freed from inhibition
and becomes more active. Since serotnergic systems appear to be intimately
involved in the control of sensation, sleep, attention, and mood, it may be
possible to explain the actions of LSD and other hallucinogens by their
disinhibition of these critical systems.?
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas was an extremely realistic view of the
mind on acid. Of the few films that I?ve seen in relation to LSD, all of them
treated the drug as if it was all fun and games. What I really liked about this
movie was that it didn?t dwell on kaleidoscope shapes and colors to portray
LSD usage, but instead focused in on the mental struggles that the user
undergoes during the experience. Several bizarre behaviors occur in the
movie, but they weren?t primarily used as jokes. Instead it was more of an
intense feeling about the understanding of the drug. As I stated earlier, the
thoughts of the main character while he was on the drugs was made present
to the audience, so as he would describe the drug, the audience could see
what he sees, hear what he was hearing with the distorted soundtrack, and
then feel what he was thinking as he would explain his emotions. All together
it made for a very believable trip, and for those who have taken acid before, a
reflection, or flashback if you will, of their unusual thoughts and reactions
while on the drug.
On the effects of LSD, all were shown in this movie. The main
character experienced several hallucinations throughout the movie. One was
when he thought bats were attacking his convertible, another being when the
hotel check-in clerk?s face became extremely distorted, and looked similar to
a lizard. He was also often seen shaking and full of perspiration. The main
character experienced the artistic insights, and he would document them in
his writings. Not only did the movie show the normal side of LSD, it also
showed the adverse side as well. There were many scenes where the two men
thought the cops were coming for them and experienced extreme paranoia
about this all through the movie. One of the characters also had a terribly
?bad trip?, as he threatened to kill his friend, himself, and a waitress they met
in a bar.
This movie has made a great impact for me on the comprehension of
LSD and other psychedelics. My perspective on LSD changed drastically. I
once viewed this drug as a way to embark on a spiritual journey. That?s all I
knew about the drug and all I really wanted to know. After watching the
movie, I saw the huge contrast in my thinking compared to the portrayal of
the drug in the movie. As I was doing the research on LSD, I found out about
the negative consequences that may occur after ingestion. Even though it
isn?t an addictive drug, reading the case studies and journals of what people
can do while on this drug put a little fear in me. To end on the note, you
won?t see me swatting at bats with a fly-swatter anytime soon.
References:
Addiction Research Foundation (1991). Facts About LSD. [Online]
Available:
www.arf.org/isd/pim/facts1.html
Cohen, S. (1960). Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Side Effects and
Complications.
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 130: 30-40
Drug Free Resource Net (1999). LSD [Online] Available:
http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/lsd.html
Gilliam, T. (Director). (1980). Gilliam [Film]. Universal.
Hofmann, A. (1983). LSD — My Problem Child. Los Angeles: J.P.
Tarcher
Inaba, Darryl S., Cohen, William E. & Holstein, Michael E. (1997).
Uppers, Downers, All-Arounders. (3rd ed.). Oregon: CNS Publications INC.
Keeler, Martin H. & Reifler, Clifford B. (1967. January 7). Suicide
During an LSD Reaction. American Journal of Psychiatry. 123: 884-885.
Loughman, W.D., Sargent, T.W. & Isrealstam, D.M. (1967, October
27) Leukocytes of Humans Exposed to Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Lack of
Chromosomal Damage. Science. 158:508-510
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (1997). Drugs Of Abuse -
LSD. [Online]
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/abuse/chap5/lsd.htm
Wesson, D.R. & Smith, D.E. (1976). An Analysis of Psychedelic
Flashbacks. American Journal Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse. 3: 425-435
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