LSD Evaluation 2021

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a chemically produced derivative of lysergic acid, which occurs naturally in organic compounds of the ergot fungus. It belongs to the group of psychedelics.

In 2021, 100 felts declared as LSD were handed in for analysis at the Drug Information Centre (DIZ) in Zurich. During the mobile drug-checking operations carried out in the city of Zurich in 2021, 4 felts declared as LSD were handed in and analysed. The evaluation of the DIZ refers exclusively to LSD felts and not to LSD in liquid form ("drops"), as liquid samples are often self-mixed in different concentrations. The results published here are not representative for the entire substance market of the city of Zurich.

In 2021, the LSD felts analysed in the DIZ contained an average of 96.8 µg of LSD. This is 17.5 µg more than in the previous year. The range was from 8.6 µg to 293.8 µg LSD per felt. 63% of the LSD felts contained less than 100 µg LSD and 21% contained between 100 and 150 µg. In 5 of the LSD felts dispensed, no psychoactive substances were detected or the active substance content was below the measurable value of the analytical methods. A warning was issued for 16% of the LSD-added felts because they contained more than 150 µg of LSD.

In 2021, 12.4 % of the felts declared as LSD contained unexpected, potentially pharmacologically active substances. These were false declarations or unintentional impurities (smear contamination in minigrips already used with other substances). Two of the felts were false declarations; of these, both felts contained 1cP-LSD and one sample also contained MDMA, which, due to the extremely small amount of MDMA, was probably a smear contamination. Two of the felts declared as LSD contained only cocaine or ketamine in a very small amount (less than 100µg).

In 2021, 28.1 % of the LSD felts analysed also contained the non-psychoactive iso-LSD. iso-LSD is produced during the manufacture of LSD and/or during prolonged storage under non-destructive conditions (exclusion of light and oxygen). The presence of iso-LSD may also indicate improper purification/separation in the manufacturing process.

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Conclusion 2021

- About three quarters of the LSD felts analysed by DIZ contain between 50.1 µg and 150 µg of LSD, with a very wide range. Especially the few samples that contain an extremely high amount of LSD show how important it is to test felts after purchase.

- A large part of the LSD felts dispensed at the DIZ are declared to contain extremely much higher doses than are effective. The analyses in 2021 again showed that LSD felts in almost all cases contain a maximum of half of the expected active substance content.

- At the DIZ Zurich in 2021, about half of the LSD felts dispensed were obtained directly by the users via online supply channels such as Telegram or the Darknet. This is in stark contrast to the usual supply channels (e.g. private persons, parties, etc.) of other tested substances.

- The number of LSD felts containing unexpected substances is still low in 2021 compared to the number of samples. A more recent phenomenon, however, is the unwitting purchase of LSD analogues. It can be assumed that LSD analogues are sold as LSD for profit maximisation due to their largely legal status in the EU and the favourable purchase price. What remains unchanged is the high proportion of detected iso-LSD, which does not have a psychoactive effect but is unexplored and thus may be associated with unknown side effects.

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More information and details can be found in the detailed report below. In addition, the most important information is summarised compactly on a graphic.