LSD Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lysergic acid diethylamide

LSD was initially synthesized in 1938 from ergotamine, a chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot; ergot is a grain fungus that often grows on rye. LSD is measured in millionths of a gram, or micrograms. A typical dose is between 100 and 500 micrograms.

Answer: Albert Hoffman

A young Swiss chemist named Albert Hoffman first synthesized LSD on November 16, 1938. It was put into storage; then, five years later, Hoffman decided to rework with it. This time, in 1943, he accidentally got a tiny amount of the chemical on his own skin. The first LSD "trip" took place and Hoffman thought that he had lost his mind. Once the effects of the drug had worn off, Hoffman realized that he had made an amazing discovery. A few days later, Hoffman intentionally dosed himself with a large amount of the drug.

After taking LSD, Hoffman began to feel the powerful sensory effects of the drug. Although at first he was quite frightened; once home, Hoffman was able to relax; and, he even began to like the strangeness that he experienced:

"... little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux ..."

Answer: Switzerland

LSD was discovered in Sandoz (now Novartis) research laboratories in Basel, Switzerland. In 1965, Sandoz ceased production of LSD due to protests and controversy.

Answer: Hallucinogen

Hallucinogens change the perception, emotion, and consciousness of the person using them. They amplify well known states of mind; and, they cause qualitatively different experiences of ordinary consciousness. More than often a hallucinogenic state can be compared to being in a dream or a trance.

The most potent known hallucinogen is LSD.

Answer: CIA

In the 1950's, the CIA conducted a secret study, code named Project MKULTRA. In this study, members of the general public, government workers, criminals, and the mentally ill, were given LSD so to gain information and data about the drug. Numerous of these people were given LSD without their knowledge; some of those people were then able to successfully sue the US government, once knowledge of these unfair tests became public.

Answer: All of these

Through research, LSD showed a tremendous potential to be beneficial to humanity in a number of ways. Unfortunately, as word spread of this new "wonder" drug, people began to use it for recreational purposes, in particular the hippie culture. When high on LSD, many already unstable people hurt either themselves or others, causing the need to make LSD illegal.

Answer: Albert Hoffman felt the effects of LSD while on a bicycle

After knowingly dosing himself with LSD, and still very unsure about the drug, Albert Hoffman rode his bicycle home due to war time restrictions. As he pedaled, the full experience of the drug's effects became evident, and Hoffman was terrified. He didn't calm down until he arrived home and called his doctor for help.

Amongst some people, "Bicycle Day" is observed each year.

Answer: Harvard University

After the firings from Harvard, Leary and Alpert set up a LSD community in Mexico; soon after, Mexican authorities threw them out. The two former Harvard professors then moved into a private mansion in upstate New York called Millbrook. Here, a large group of people, led by Leary, experimented with LSD; unfortunately, local police made sure to harass the Millbrook residents. Leary, also, traveled the nation preaching to people about the great benefits of LSD. President Richard Nixon called Tim Leary "the most dangerous man in America."

Answer: Owsley Stanley

Ken Kesey was the author of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"; he became involved with LSD in the early sixties and formed a famous group of LSD users called "The Merry Pranksters."

In the 1950s, Al Hubbard became known as the "Johnny Appleseed of LSD." He was so impressed with the substance that he traveled the world giving numerous people LSD to try.

Humphrey Osmond was a British psychiatrist who worked with LSD and coined the word "psychedelic." In 1957, at the New York Academy of Sciences, Osmond explained that he combined the word "psyche" (meaning mind) with the word "delos" (meaning manifest). The original rhyme that Osmond wrote was: "To fathom Hell or soar angelic, just take a pinch of psychedelic."

Answer: A large LSD drug bust

In the UK, in the mid 1970s, a massive undercover police investigation focused on some private homes in Wales. Many police agents posed as hippies who were mistaken by the locals to be birdwatchers. One of the police officers involved was a lady named Julie, which is how the operation received its name.

After two-and-a-half years, the police action resulted in over 100 million monetary pounds of LSD being seized and 120 people being arrested.