Category

Hallucinogen

Also known as

Acid, trips, tabs

What it looks like and how it's taken

Comes in small squares of paper, often printed with designs, or as tiny tablets called microdots and dots. Tablets are swallowed. It is a myth that LSD can be absorbed through the skin from transfers.

Immediate effects

Hallucination—the 'trip'. Starts within an hour and can last 8 - 12 hours or longer. Surroundings seem altered, colours brighter, sounds different, movement and time may seem distorted.

Risks

Short term: Trips cannot be controlled or stopped. A bad trip can be terrifying, which requires help and reassurance from others. Mental health problems can be triggered and existing conditions made worse.

Long term: Users may have 'flashbacks' where they relive a trip without taking the drug again.

Legal status

Class A

Learn more about drugs and the law.