ABSTRACT
Categorization of substances as to the seriousness of the harm they do, and hence the seriousness of the o…enses associated with them, varies widely around the world. Similarly, legitimate medicinal or research use of materials is permitted di…erently. However, and more usefully to the organic chemist, the drugs can also be categorized by their e…ect-hallucinogens, narcotics, stimulants, depressants, analgesics, and human-performance-enhancing drugs (see Section 16.2.5). Hallucinogens distort the perception of time and reality, and most are based on two structural families-derivatives of phenethylamine, 26.1, or tryptamine, 26.2. Probably, the most famous of the hallucinogens is lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 26.3, of the tryptamine family. is is a very potent hallucinogen; 25 μg can give a 12 h “trip.” It is generally sold as microdots on thin paper or as small pieces of paper that have been soaked in a solution of LSD, so called blotter acid. Doses used recreationally range from 30 to 150 μg. Most production is synthetic from lysergamide, which can be isolated from morning glory seeds or from various ergot alkaloids. Ergotamine, 26.4, isolated from rye infected with Claviceps purpurea, caused outbreaks of St. Anthony’s Fire documented from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century
(occasionally still occurs in the developing world), and its e…ects have been suggested as a cause of the hallucinations adduced during the Salem witchcraft trials in 1692/3.* Ergotamine has a legitimate medical use in the treatment of severe migraine.
