First synthesized by Albert Hoffman in 1938 LSD is the archetypal psychedelic (literally “soul-opening”) drug. LSD is a synthetic chemical derived from ergot alkaloids which are produced by a fungus which grows on rye. LSD was initially heralded as a breakthrough in psychiatry and research into mental illness until LSD “escaped” from the lab and came to be used recreationally during the sixties. LSD was eventually made illegal in 1967.

According to the 2004 National Household Survey, the largest survey of psychoactive drug use in the United States: More than 10% of people over the age of 12 say they have tried LSD at some time in their lives. The number is more than 15% among those between the ages of 18 and 25.

In a 1998 survey in the UK 11% of those aged 16-29 said they had tried LSD at least once.

Colloquial names for LSD are many and vary between countries and geographical regions. Often they simply refer to the design on the blotter. Some of the more common ones include:
Alice, Hits, Angel Tears (specifically for liquid), Bart Simpsons, Big D, Blotter, Chief, Cid, Cupcakes, Domes, Doses, Dots, El Cid, Ellis Day, Flash, Fluff, Ghost, Haze, Headlights, Instant Zen, L, Lucy, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Leary’s, Microdots, Owsley’s, Pane/Windowpane, Sacrament, Strawberrys/Strawberry Fields, Sunshine, Sugar, Tabs, Trips, and Zen.