‘LSD is one of the two or three most important things I’ve done in my life,’ the late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, famously said.

Please don’t go looking for some in the hope that it will turn you into a tech genius. Not only will LSD not do that to you but you’d also be looking for a very, very long time – because there’s a shortage.

In the 1960s, acid wasn’t just a hippie staple. All types of people from musicians to Harvard professors were experimenting with acid, either recreationally or in the hope of yielding some spiritual, creative or therapeutic benefit.




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In the modern day, you don’t hear much about it and the reason why may be because there’s so little around.

According to University of Michigan researchers, there was a sharp decline in use of LSD among 12th graders (17 year-olds) the age group most likely to use the drug, despite interest and a lack of concern about its potential side-effects.

‘It looks to me like lack of availability has played a major role in the decline of this drug,’ Lloyd Johnston, who conducted the survey, told io9.

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The reason for this marked decrease in availability may lie in the arrest of a man named William L. Pickard in 2000. Pickard, a brilliant chemist and Buddhist priest who spent four years in prison for LSD possession, allegedly had such an enormous supply of acid that his arrest permanently reduced the amount available.

David Nichols, the former Distinguished Chair in Chemistry at Purdue University, told io9 that Pickard was a ‘major US, if not international manufacturer’ whose arrest resulted in LSD ‘almost disappearing’ from the streets.

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Another problem for lovers of the hallucinogen is that one ingredient that is vital to synthesising it is almost impossible to get: ergot alkaloid.

According to Nicholas, ergot alkaloid is a ‘watched chemical’ and without having ties to certain eastern European countries – where it is less strictly regulated – it is extremely difficult to get hold of.

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