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City, Union Spar Over Fire Lieutenants
by Thomas MacMillan | Aug 23, 2013 2:00 pm
(35) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Legal Writes, City Budget
Fire union President Jimmy Kottage (pictured) arrived Friday morning at the steps of City Hall with reinforcements in his fight against a change in lieutenant staffing—black and Latino firefighters who back him.
Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts showed up with reinforcements of his own—eye-popping statistics on a list of the top overtime earners in the department.
Smuts's list shows how much money the city is spending in firefighter overtime because the fire department doesn't have enough supervisors. Firefighters at the top of the list are earning nearly twice as much as their regular salaries.
Click here to see the list, which includes the towns where all sworn firefighters live. Top earners—who in many cases didn't necessarily ask for the overtime, but were obligated to be pulled into service because of understaffing—took in over $200,000 a year. Most of them live outside of New Haven. (Caveat: The list includes not just overtime pay, but settlement payments stemming from the Ricci v. DeStefano reverse discrimination lawsuit.)
Smuts produced the list in response to Kottage's complaints about a change to the number of lieutenants in the department. In the budget that went into effect on July 1, the city defunded 12 captain positions and created 12 new lieutenant positions in the fire department.
Kottage said this is a way to avoid the regular promotions practice. Read more about his complaint here.
Kottage held a Friday morning press conference to call on the Board of Aldermen to change the budget to eliminate the new lieutenant positions. Beaver Hills Alderman Brian Wingate, head of the Public Safety Committee, promised to hold a hearing on the matter.
At the press conference, Kottage was backed by representatives of black and Latino firefighter associations. Gary Tinney of the New Haven Firebirds, said firefighters are united in their opposition to the staffing changes.
Firebird Darrel Brooks said the budget change will mean that lieutenants with 20 years of experience will be seeking captain promotions alongside brand new lieutenants with only a year of experience: "That's insane."
Smuts (pictured) said the city followed the proper procedure to address a supervisor shortage. He said the move is a common practice in the New Haven police department.
At the top of Smuts' list of top firefighter earners are two battalion chiefs from Guilford, each of whom earned nearly a quarter-million dollars in the last fiscal year. Smuts said that's because of a shortage of both battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs in the department. He said the city tried to have a battalion chiefs promotions exam, but the union blocked it because of a disagreement about the weighting of the exam.
Lt. Kottage is number 46 on the list. He earned $117,000 in the last fiscal year, more than 50 percent more than his base pay.
Smuts said the change to lieutenant staffing will take care of most of the overtime expenses associated with the captain and lieutenant ranks.
"We will have another hearing," said Wingate.
Tags: Jimmy Kottage, fire promotions, Rob Smuts, Brian Wingate, Gary Tinney, Darrel Brooks
Post a Comment
posted by: Wooster Squared on August 23, 2013 2:55pm
After four credit downgrades in a year and countless lawsuits involving the NHFD it may be time to rethink how the city provides this service.
Has the City done a cost benefit analysis looking at using a private fire service or a hybrid professional-volunteer model? This may or may not be the way to go, but it should be studied and carefully considered.
A number of cities around the country have started using private fire services successfully.
Stamford, a city almost exactly the same size as New Haven uses a combination of professional firefighters, supplemented with volunteers. Like New Haven, Stamford has many old buildings, many tall buildings, an industrial area, and a train station. If they can successfully use a hybrid model, New Haven should at least be looking into it.
I have the utmost respect for firefighters, but the current system in New Haven is a mess, with huge expenses and constant infighting. The only thing we shouldn't be doing is more of the same.
posted by: NHFDCP on August 23, 2013 2:59pm
Mr Smuts et al, need to remember that the rank-and-file members of the Department did not create this mess. For years, the number of vacant spots has grown, and nothing was done. The numbers for the top two may be seem extreme, but the public needs to know that those two members have been working 24 hour shifts to cover four positions. This is due to not promoting the upper ranks. Lt Kottage is correct, the Department needs to promote from the top down, and as they do, lower spots will open up immediately. As it stands now, if they attempt to promote from the bottom up, the City would have to wait a minimum of one year to further promote those members, and as there are already vacancies at every level above Lieutenant, you don't solve the overtime/acting issue. If you want to curb overtime costs, it is simple: Promote and hire at all levels.
I also find it suspect that Mr Smuts would feel the need to include the town of residence for those listed. I see this as purely to fan the flames. Yes, I live in the next town, but I spend a large amount of my earnings at New Haven businesses and activities. I still have family in New Haven too, and they probably spend less money in the city than I do.
Finally, I find Mr Smuts' list suspect, or at least his reporting flawed, as I haven't made half of what he is reporting I did..
Lt. C. Parker
posted by: ILivehere on August 23, 2013 3:00pm
This is exactly why we cant vote the unions in to power the election.
posted by: cedarhillresident! on August 23, 2013 3:04pm
Ok I will post here…Not going to say much because my jaw is on the floor. Besides the amount of OT that this list shows it also shows were these people that are backing Harp live..and know we know why they are.
posted by: UBHolden on August 23, 2013 3:23pm
unbeleivable! I wouldn't want more lieutenants either if it meant my overtime is going to go down dramaticall. In addition, doesn't all this jack up their pensions?? Brooks calls it "insane" that Lieutenants with 20 years experience would be taking the captain's exam with guys who have been a lietenant for one year. That may be so, but why hasn't someone who has been a Lieutenant for 20 years been unable to pass the Captain's exam? I assume they have taken it several times along the way???
posted by: Webblog1 on August 23, 2013 3:46pm
"We will have another hearing," said Wingate.
For What Wingate, you voted for the budget amendment authorizing the shift from Capt. to Lt. You and the entire board voted 28 to 0 to accept the budget.
You had a public hearing and the firemen were silent.
What do you hope to achieve by providing another public hearing, where for the most part the public is shut out or ignored.
This is a union/ city contract issue, let the union grieve and go to arbitration if they believe they are correct.
Stop playing stupid politics games wingate.
posted by: Wooster Squared on August 23, 2013 4:33pm
By the way, thanks NHI for providing the data.
I did some quick math and it turns out we're paying over 15 MILLION dollars a year to non-residents for fire service.
Put another way, that's about $100,000 a year on average to over 150 individuals who don't live here.
Meanwhile, half of New Haven households are living on $29,000 or less per year.
So a bunch of guys living out of town who are making three times as much as the average New Haven family have the stones to complain about promotions.
posted by: HewNaven on August 23, 2013 4:47pm
What's sickening to me is that most of these stations are surrounded by poor people who struggle to make a living. You'd have to be completely blind to drive in every day from Guilford and take that kind of money away from New Haven residents. This is absolutely disgusting.
posted by: Noteworthy on August 23, 2013 7:34pm
This is a great article and congratulations to Rob Smuts for firing with both barrels. It is past time for these whiny firefighters to quit milking the system. You blocked the exams, and helped create the mess. It is not a very far leap to see why given that so many union bigs were on the hit parade of top earners - Kottage and of course, ever dipping Ricci; Gary Tinney who is for the union when it means he has monster paychecks and against the union when he's trying to get a double scoop payment like Ricci.
If ever my point that our fire service needs to be scrapped and re-orged, it is now. Streamline those rules, limit the union's ability to screw taxpayers and for god's sake, only higher enough to equal the national average. And do what the consultant told us to do four years ago - close at least one fire station.
This has been going on for years and it's part of the reason our pension fund is so upside down.
Note to Brian Wingate: We don't need any stinking hearing on this. The city is broke. You helped break it. Tough love as it is, just do it and quit carrying water for the union.
posted by: Threefifths on August 23, 2013 8:43pm
posted by: Wooster Squared on August 23, 2013 5:33pm
By the way, thanks NHI for providing the data.
I did some quick math and it turns out we're paying over 15 MILLION dollars a year to non-residents for fire service.
Put another way, that's about $100,000 a year on average to over 150 individuals who don't live here.
Meanwhile, half of New Haven households are living on $29,000 or less per year.
So a bunch of guys living out of town who are making three times as much as the average New Haven family have the stones to complain about promotions.
The question you need to ask is why are you and other in town residents not taking the test to become a New haven firefigther.
posted by: Proud NHFD on August 23, 2013 8:53pm
I am an NHFD firefighter who has dedicated my life to serving the citizens of New Haven. I grew up in this city, went to school here, and still have family who live here. I no longer reside here because I need be closer to my in-laws. Does that make me less of a dedicated employee? Like many of my coworkers I take every class I can to improve my skills, often having to use vacation time and/or pay for the training. I do that with no complaints or expectations of being rewarded, but because that is the right way to serve the citizens of New Haven. When I read Mr Smut's comments it feels like a slap in the face. Mr. Smuts has been the point person at city hall for the FD for many years. The fact that the department is in the state that it is regarding lack of supervisors and vacancies is a result of his poor management and an inability to plan for the future. Does anyone really think that this snuck up on him? Is he surprised that we want promotional test weights to be done according to which the city agreed in our contract? All NHFD members are asking for is the chance to have promotions actually take place the correct way for the first time in over a decade without the games being played by the CAO's office. This way we can continue the proud tradition of providing the citizens with a top rate FD. The divisive game being played by publicizing earnings (an issue that was created by the incompetency of the person releasing it) is a sad attempt to deflect attention from the real issue. The changes in Captain and Lieutenant numbers will actually delay promotions to those vacant, overtime "sucking" battalion and deputy chief positions. All that is happening here is the creation of a mess that will be left when Mr. Smuts leaves in a few months!
posted by: Amazed on August 24, 2013 12:53am
It is great to see all the firefighters united. Stand strong. As for Mr. Smuts, why are you intentionally misleading people. You can increase the number of lieutenants but you would still have to utilize lieutenants as acting Captains. So you would still be using overtime and inflate salaries. So you have solved nothing. When a CFO does not understand basic math no wonder this once great city is in such a condition.
posted by: Rivertostate on August 24, 2013 5:53am
Mr. Smuts, let me get this straight. It is the Unions fault that overtime is out of control? It is the Unions fault that the city has failed to give promotional exams.
Both of these problems have been staring at city hall and the chiefs office for a DECADE!!! And it has essentially been ignored due to incompetence.
Mr. Smuts says that the union "blocked" the Battalion Chiefs exam. What he doesn't tell you is that the HE wanted to change the weighting of the exam from what has been already agreed upon with the union.
Ask yourself why? Why does the city want to re weight the BC test?
Why do they continue to try to alter agreed upon testing procedures? Why don't they just follow the rules and do it properly without litigation? Wouldn't that lead to a streamlined process ensuring they get ALL levels of the command staff filled in a timely fashion??
To all the union haters out there, what is the union doing wrong? The city and the union have a signed contract. They have letters of agreement and memo's of understanding clearly spelling out how tests are to be weighted. The union has 30+ years of litigation in its favor against the city. All the union is doing is protecting its workers from the meddling hands of the city.
Also remember that those big overtime earnings / budget numbers aren't the whole story… Remember the 102 vacancies? Subtract that 6.5 + mil in salaries from the OT budget to get a true number of what the city is paying in OT. Never mind the savings in healthcare and benefits. Most of the firefighters OT is paid at straight time. More FACTS Smuts decides to leave out of his inflammatory report.
posted by: GBoivin on August 24, 2013 7:19am
Just a message to you Rob Smuts:
I don't mind that you skew the facts and fail to advise that myself and 17 others only made that amount because we won a lawsuit at the Supreme Court level against you, Mayor Destefano, and the corrupt actions of your administration attempting to deny promotions to the NH20 in 2004. What bothers me is the fact that you released personal information with it (i.e., the town I live in)—when advising that we live outside of New Haven would have sufficed. And God help you if anyone comes after me or my family for your irresponsibility in the craziness of these days—you have little to no class for this action. I also find it funny how you are vilifying the worker for the actions of the management—or should I say inaction of the management (YOU). Aren't you supposed to be a Democrat? Democrats are for the workers—I guess not—not that that surprises me, because I've been saying that for many years now. Democrats are for themselves in the long and short run.
These salaries could have been kept within a responsible number had you kept with the practice of filling the vacancies in a timely manner. However, you chose not to, and now your actions, your faults, are causing this problem—which by the way, is more systemic than money. I hope when you look at your actions of trying to make us look like the "bad guy," you can be proud that your failure gives you solace in making the NHFD members out to be simply greedy.
I would guess by your summation of events, you would agree that the military should also abolish Lt, Capt, Major, and Colonel positions as well, so that they can make more Sergeants—common sense to-the-core right there. Since 2004 , you have failed to give any other line officer promotions, and failed to adequately hire, knowing that the ranks would be depleted due to the mass exodus of aging firefighters. Shame on you! So I ask, how is this the workers fault?
posted by: Rivertostate on August 24, 2013 1:15pm
While I understand that the thought of a firefighter making $250k a year can be a tough pill to swallow- if you break it down and look at the true cost to the city to fill the Deputy Chief positions you may be surprised.
A budgeted DC base salary is $95676 add holiday pay, longevity, and stipends a DC without overtime makes about $105K a a year.
There are 4 budgeted DC's of which none are currently filled. That brings the cost of the position to $420K per year.
Now factor in that the city is not paying health insurance, life insurance, uniforms, comp, pension, sick time, etc for those 4 DC positions. That is , conservatively, about $20K per position for a total of $80K.
So, for the city to fund the 4 Deputy Chief positions it IS BUDGETED around $500K a year- NOT factoring in the overtime needed to cover the DC's vacation and sick time.
Now, the 2 Battalion Chiefs who are currently working the 4 Deputy Chief positions are working every other day for 24 hrs…. 24hrs on, 24 hrs off, 24 hrs on, 24 hrs off….and have been for 2 + YEARS!!!
1 made 245107, the other 244985 for a total of $490092
So the city budgets $500K for the DC job- The city paid $490K for the DC position last fiscal year. (you don't factor the BC's benefits because they would have been paid out in the BC position regardless)
How is this possible? Well over 80% of a firefighters OT hrs are paid at straight time. Factor in the savings on "fringe benefits" listed above from the vacancies and…wa-la!! You have the truth.
What it boils down to is instead of paying 4 people $125K yr they are paying 2 people $245k yr… and you can apply the same math all the way down from DC to firefighter.
This is just one example, it trickles down through all the ranks. Smuts et al takes a snap shot and do not inform you of the TRUTH. They count on you believing them and blaming the dedicated & hard working members of the NHFD. They use smoke and mirrors to distract you and to take the heat off themselves.
posted by: FacChec on August 24, 2013 1:51pm
I will say in defense of the union with regard to flip from the Capt. to LT. positions, the original 13/14 budget submitted by the Mayor in March of 2013 contained 23 fully funded Capt. positions. It also contained 45 fully funded LT positions.
If the Mayor did not plan to fill all positions this budget year, then they should not have been under consideration for approval by the BOA.
The BOA passed the original budget, but only after the Mayor submitted a budget amendment calling for the twelve position flip.
While the original budget did allow for public input, which the firemen did not attend, neither the public nor the firemen had the opportunity to weigh-in on the budget amendment which was held between the mayor and Jorge Perez behind closed doors.
Nevertheless, judging from the number of positions approved, it does not appear necessary to flip any positions, just test and fill based on the order of need.
With regard to overtime budgeted, the police dept was reduced by 550K and the Fire Dept was increased by 1.1M over the 12/13 budget, in both the original and the budget amendment.
Therefore, with these considerations well within budget, it does appear the administration is picking a fight, it will surely lose.
posted by: downtown dweller on August 24, 2013 8:42pm
There is to be no perfect solution to this problem. As Rivertostate admits, the firefighters' union has been in litigation with the city on and off for the last thirty years. Whenever the city tries to change the terms of the firefighters' employment, it is sued, or threatened with a suit. Despite this, some firefighters are taking home almost ten times the national median wage, and receiving benefits on top. It makes it worse that this is New Haven taxpayers' money that, in large part, is being taken outside New Haven.
Wooster Squared has proposed the best answer: go to a private or hybrid private/voluntary model. The firefighters would resist this tooth and nail. But, if the city is so powerless to make changes in the department, or tame the wage bill, this would be the best option. It appears that a public firefighting service is a luxury we can no longer afford.
posted by: truck3nhfd on August 25, 2013 6:36am
FacChec I was at the budget meetings including the one that the fire and police department presented their budget and this issue was discussed quite extensivley. The public had oppertunities to speak and I didn"t hear the fire union President say any thing so it wasn't done in a back room so if he didnt say anything then or didn't attend shame on him.
River to State i agree you can't lay this at the feet of the firefighters. Looking at their base salaries compared to what they made they must of worked a lot.
What scares me after looking again at the fire contracr online is these guys can get 80 percent of what they make just off their last 4 years of working with overtime included. If the deputy acting chiefs averaged $250,000 the last couple years and are probably going to do that again and if they can retire with 80 percent because they can have 30 years then they could get pensions around $200,000 a year for the rest of their lives. How old are these guys. How long do they have on the fire department. That contract says something about giving sick time for pension credits does this me they can get more than 80 percent if they do that.
posted by: Rivertostate on August 25, 2013 8:39am
Wooster Squared and downtown dweller, so now that it has been explained that the firefighters union is not "extorting" the taxpayers and the gross mismanagement of the department by Grant, Egan, Smuts, and Destefano has led the NHFD down this path -your answer is still "stick it to the union" and propose unrealistic alternatives.
Here are 2 ideas
1. Educate yourself on the fire service and the history of the fire service in New Haven
2. Step away from your keyboard -march down to city hall and demand that the people who caused this mess be held accountable- demand there resignation and / or make there positions volunteer or privatized.
The union and membership has been in litigation for 30 years because the city just refuses conduct itself within the parameters of mutually agreed upon contracts / settlements. And don't think the city's reasoning has anything to do with you the taxpayer- do some research and you will see it is all about a political agenda.
The union has made more concessions over the last 30 yrs than you can imagine, what was once a 500 man department is now 350, overtime at straight pay, increased cost shares for medical, increased cost share for pension- the list goes on. The union agrees to these because they understand the fiscal climate and strain on the tax payers. But when the union stands up for itself regarding staffing, workplace conditions, or promotional practices they are chastised by the administration, the media, and the public.
It amazes me you don't see this. You refuse to want to address the true problem. And you continue to blame, and want to punish the union members.
Address the problem!!!! Not the result of it!!!! Because until the problem is fixed any other solution will only be short term. And make no mistake about, the problem is management!!! Or should I say lack of.
posted by: anonymous on August 25, 2013 1:07pm
Rivertostate, a typical family in many city neighborhoods makes about a thousand dollars each month. Typically about half of that money goes to rent. In other words it goes to pay property tax so that we can pay city worker salaries.
Do you think that it is fair to pay union members the equivalent of a thousand dollars per DAY in salary and benefits?
That's called taking money away from low income families, young people, and immigrants, many of whom work just as hard as the firefighters do, and giving it to mostly middle-aged people in towns that are more than 10 times wealthier.
I'm all for paying firefighters well above what anyone would consider to be a living wage. But we need to make sure that residents in the rest of our city can enjoy a similar quality of life, not feel like they are permanently imprisoned by poverty while simultaneously seeing their libraries, parks, schools, and snow removal collapse because more and more money is exported to the suburbs each year.
posted by: downtown dweller on August 25, 2013 2:51pm
I'm pretty well educated on the New Haven fire service, thank you. I'll ignore your patronizing tone—which is not the way for you to win the public support you desperately need—and cut to the chase.
It's great that the NHFD has cut numbers. It would be great if NHFD continued to cut numbers. Why? Because there are fewer fires than there used to be. Fires requiring a fire service response in New Haven fell by 20% between 2001 and 2011. Firefighters spend most of their time responding to medical emergencies. The city could easily trim the department, close a firehouse, and reduce the departmental minimum staffing requirements.
Volunteer and private firefighting services work fine. Most firefighters in this country are volunteers. Frankly, the country seems a pretty safe place to me in terms of fire protection.
Your confrontational post just proves my argument, unfortunately. The union and the city are incapable of coexisting. If the union is always right, as you claim, then it seems that the city is always signing over-expensive contracts. The only way to prevent that is to move to a different model of firefighting.
posted by: downtown dweller on August 25, 2013 3:12pm
Anonymous makes a good point about salaries. A lieutenant in the army makes between $40,000 and $55,000 in cash per year, plus an undefined amount in benefits, perhaps in the region of $25,000. I have a hard time understanding why a lieutenant in the fire service should be able to earn so much more.
posted by: Rivertostate on August 25, 2013 3:21pm
Anonymous, I completely sympathize with the low income families that live in the city. But you leave out important information. That family making 12k a year also gets welfare, housing assistance, food stamps, WIC, free state health care, heating & utility assistance, child care assistance, and a host of other programs. Now who funds all of these programs? That's right, those very suburbanites you despise. And those low income renters, unless they own a car, are paying $0 in property tax - the for profit property owner is paying the property tax.
Do I think it's fair? Fortunately this is not a socialist society so a lot of things aren't fair. Is it fair a doctor makes 250k yr. working 5 days a week when he is paid by medicare / medicaid?
My father taught me to work hard and create my own path in life (he was a truck driver) I've worked since I was 13 most of that time having 2 jobs. Is it fair I have to work 2 jobs to support my family and about .35 cents of every dollar I make goes to taxes that subsidize all those govt. programs for the low income families you speak of? Tack on my 10k property tax bill, gas tax, and sales tax. I pay my share and more of my tax dollars get funneled into New Haven than stays in my hometown.
The firefighters are TAKING nothing. Most of those guys are doing the job of 2 firefighters so the city is adequately protected. Sure the OT is nice, but ask most of them and they will tell you they are tired.
posted by: truck3nhfd on August 25, 2013 4:03pm
As I said before you can't lay this at the feet of the firefighters. They're just working and working a lot. I remember visiting the firehouse on Lombard as a child and have been by there with my son and the guys at truck 3 were always the best and the other fire truck to. I am still a resident of fairhaven and know I can still rely on the guys over at Lombard.
It's still scares me the amount of what these pensions might look like and that's a problem the city should be talking to the union about because it is crazy but the guys just get what everyone agreed to.
Seems like you could spread the blame between the city administration and the union administration for the share of BS but we shouldn't blame the firemen.
posted by: Think About It on August 25, 2013 6:00pm
Downtown Dweller & Anonymous:
As far as a volunteer fire department in New Haven, it is highly unlikely that you would draw enough residents to fulfill the obligation of responding to all the fire related calls in the city. Which fire houses would be volunteer, and which ones paid? The NHFD does not just respond to structure fires. If you are understanding of the statistics, then surely you must know that a large chunk of our business is responding to activated fire alarms in businesses, that do not result in large scale fires, as well as motor vehicle related calls, hazmat calls, specialty rescue calls, and various other emergencies that don;t fall within the police or EMS realm.
You don;t just say "I want a volunteer department" and poof you have people ready to go. Each individual, in order to be a simple firefighter, must go through months of training and practical drills to assure competency—I know, because I teach these people as a side job. If you are also well versed i the volunteer fire service, then you realize that volunteer fire departments are dropping off like flies because people simply do not have the time to devote to the initial training and continuing education and training that is required to be a "qualified firefighter." So—hundreds of hours just to be a firefighter. This doesn't even scratch the surface on technical rescues, becoming an EMT, or other aspects of the fire service. So as far as a volunteer department, it is kind of a wish, but not a real solution. You can research NFPA requirements if you don't believe me.
As for pay, you are paying less than the going rate for a Lt & Capt in CT. Sure, you can always pay less, and you will get less people willing to put their lives on the line for you. You will get feet to fill the boots, but when the bell rings, do you think those underpaid guys and girls are going to be rushing to save you, give their all on medical calls, or provide you with what you deserve, its simple as NO.
posted by: Think About It on August 25, 2013 6:12pm
Dweller & Anon:
As far as the pay thing goes—the union is not fighting for more money—they are fighting to keep the command structure in tact. If these positions were filled properly, from private to Deputy Chief, you would not be seeing outrageous pensions, and incredible annual incomes. Al firefighters from top down, would be making their annual budgeted salary. The union is trying to save you money, they realize the guys are getting burned out from being "softly ordered" to work overtime, or they will be mandated to work. Most members are working the hours of 1 1/2 people, giving them 1 1/2 times their annual salary. There are a bunch of members that work many overtimes so other members with obligations won't be ordered to stay. These are the members that are "stuck out" by Rob Smuts as greedy and treated as a succubus o New Haven, when in fact they are sacrificing time away from their own families—and some getting divorced so others won't get screwed.
Your city administration has failed you in every aspect, from the under-filling lawsuits of the 90's against african AMericans, to the New Haven 20 lawsuit in 2004. They have left the fire department to whither and die, and are now trying to blame it on "greedy" firemen. Since when do the workers control the Mayor, or the Chief of a Department; this would be the first I ever heard of. The City new these vacancies were coming over a decade ago. They new guys were retiring from every rank, but failed to fill the vacancies in a timely manner. How does a well run department get to the point where they have over 100 vacancies? Answer they don't! So the obvious answer is: it is not run very well. Last I checked, Deputy Chiefs, Battalion Chiefs, Captains, Lieutenants, and Privates had no say in the City's budget, the hiring process, the promotional process, or any other management aspect. But feel free to continue to blame the worker.
posted by: mike1985 on August 25, 2013 7:14pm
Let's all do the math. 10 engines, 4 Trucks, and 2 Squads equals 16 companies which should equal 16 Captains and 48 lieutenants. It doesn't take rocket science to figure it out. Check with FDNY, Boston, Bridgeport, Providence, etc. New Haven has been overstaffed in the Captain ranks for years and Smuts finally caught onto this. The senior captain is in charge of the fire house. New Haven should have more Lieutenants. The rank and structure has been antiquated since the begining but it should also be a negotiated item. The privates should all be happy for more promotional oportunities. Enough said.
posted by: member on August 25, 2013 7:33pm
Wooster Squared, Let me know when you'd like to spend 3 14 hour night shifts with me on my Engine Company in Fair Haven I'll make the arrangements and I'll even buy you dinner, you're gonna eat it in the engine because we're gonna be busy, but I'll still pay for it. Let me know. Maybe you can start a drive for an all volunteer department and I'm sure you'd be more then willing to be the first to volunteer.
posted by: Wooster Squared on August 25, 2013 8:27pm
@Gary Cole,
I would jump at the chance to spend 3 14-hour night shifts with you on your engine. Perhaps we could work with NHI to arrange this. I'm sure it would be very tough, but it's something I'd like to do.
The question is, are you serious about this offer or would you just use this as an excuse to haze and/or embarass me because of the fact that I've criticized NHFD on this site?
Send me your number via the author of this article and we can talk.
posted by: Threefifths on August 25, 2013 9:04pm
This is why they make money.
We shall never forget these 343 Firefighters.
Emergency workers killed in the September 11 attacks
Of the 2,977 people killed in the September 11 attacks, 412 were emergency workers in New York City who responded to the World Trade Center. This included:
341 firefighters and 2 paramedics from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY);[1]
37 police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department (PAPD);[2]
23 police officers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD);[3] and
8 emergency medical technicians and paramedics from private emergency medical services.[4][5]
This article lists those emergency workers from the three main emergency services, the FDNY, PAPD and NYPD, who died whilst fulfilling their duties at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Any takers for there job.
My bad I forgot.Some of them will not get to spend a dime of there money.
Still dying from 9/11: Toxic legacy of World Trade Center attack revealed as dust increases risk of cancer by a fifth
By Julian Gavaghan
UPDATED: 07:45 EST, 2 September 2011
Aftermath of 9/11: Study Shows Firefighters' Breathing Problems Never Went Away
April 7, 2010
By LAUREN COX
ABC News Medical Unit
posted by: Rivertostate on August 25, 2013 10:02pm
Your assessment of the Captain situation in New Haven is not that far off. New Haven is a Captain
heavy department but every fire department is structured differently. Example, some of those jobs you mention the driver or chauffeur is a promotion with higher pay in New Haven it is not.
That aside, Smuts is not looking to permanently get rid of those Captains positions. He is looking to keep those positions in the budget hence they are funded at $1. If Smuts has his way he will promote the extra lieutenants now and when they give the captains exam re fund the captains slots and de fund those new LT slots. It is just a game of shells or underfilling. In the end he is not looking to restructure the fire department. And be careful what you ask for…. Someday you may be looking for that captains position that used to be there, then you'll be singing a different tune.
Kudos to you for going and researching the collective bargaining agreement. It can be quite a boring read. Yes, the members working all this OT will have substantial pensions. But turn to the last page of the contract and you will see the signatures of the current mayor, current fire chief, and current assistant chief (then union prez). This contract dates back to 2006 and not much changed regarding pension calculation from the previous contract. Right there is proof positive that management was asleep at the wheel. How could they say they did not see this coming? Had the city promoted and hired properly this situation would not exist.
posted by: HewNaven on August 26, 2013 7:15am
If these guys are so valuable, let's get a Fireman of the Week series going, so we can get to know them a little better. Maybe these jobs are worth the money.
posted by: downtown dweller on August 26, 2013 11:52am
The arguments above are really all over the place. Some firefighters admit that salaries are incredible and that pensions are outrageous, but say that if the department was fully staffed, the city would actually save money. This makes no sense, because the last 2006 contract includes a minimum staffing requirement, inserted at the union's behest. That's the problem here. And other firefighters are admitting that the union stuck it to the management in the last contract negotiations, and that the city fell asleep at the wheel. The firefighters are a bit embarrassed by this, but sheepishly ask us taxpayers and voters to take it out not on them but on the city officials. Actually, taxpayers aren't going to shift responsibility so easily. It takes two sides to sign a bad contract, and the firefighters are at fault as much as the city. If we can't even up the bargaining power between the city and the union—and we probably can't, because politicians like to pose in front of fire trucks at election time—we need to rethink firefighting in this city completely.
posted by: just my view on August 26, 2013 12:08pm
@ Downtown Dweller - you posted "Volunteer and private firefighting services work fine. Most firefighters in this country are volunteers."
Find a city the size of New Haven (or even half the size of New Haven) that has a private fire service or more even more unlikely a volunteer fire department.


text:
Last week I breezed past a few items on the Internet that raised my curiosity about the topic of women in technology. It dawned on me that we may not all agree on what the definition is. I may not know what a tech chick really is. So I'm asking.
Do you need a degree in a field that requires math or science to qualify? If you got your degree in a field that required you to do math in your head or find a cure for cancer, does this automatically make you a tech chick?
If you got your degree so you can do math in your head, and you qualify as a tech chick, but you decide to stay home to raise babies, does it still count that you need to remember how many loads of laundry are left in the day, how many times Timmy said "damn", how to cure potty mouth and where you last saw laugh-your-head-off Elmo?
In other words, I have a concern for women who went to college with ambitions to study for a career in technology and once they make a choice to stay home to raise small children, they lose their value to the technical industry because they're no longer contributing to it. It doesn't mean they won't be back.
It does mean that many companies have given up on this talent pool and look to other countries to fill their female employee quotas. The idea of telecommuting or flex-time just never occurs to them?
I found contests for women in tech industries. Judging from their titles, they are super human beings who, if they have children, don't get to spend much time with them. Or, they chose careers over family. Or, they have a small family rather than the big one they once dreamed of, before being a technical person meant working 60 hour work weeks and sex, come on. Who has time for that?
Tech Widows
Does the fact that you're married to a technical dude count for anything?
I am, and I don't get to see him much, although he lives at our house. His boss loves him and his technical expertise. Mr. High Tech Company Boss has scooped up a Mr. Kick Ass High Tech Employee and intends on making him work even more hours to make the company bigger, better, bolder.
So, I wonder, does being the spouse of a Tech Dude automatically qualify her as a Tech Chick, or does she have to perform some sort of ritual to prove she's worthy of such techness?
I Am Lost
I used to think I was a woman with Tech Blood. This is because I worked in several IT departments and my title had the word "engineer" in it. Nothing made my teeny allotment of testosterone happier than that title.
However, I don't have a college degree because in my day, it was still a common belief that educating women was a waste of time. They'd have babies and why waste all that money when they wouldn't use their degree? I wasn't encouraged to go to college and it was hoped I'd find someone to take care of me. (That was not what I had in mind!)
I eventually did pay my way through two years of college by way of working on campus full time to pay for it and living in poverty off campus because all the money I earned went to college courses. I was so totally skinny then.
I studied Journalism, which is not technical. For my IT career, that is something I taught myself at night when my children slept, and I was going through a divorce. I was almost 40 years old by then. There are no prizes awarded to women who have their cake and shove the rest in the faces of those who didn't believe in them.
There is, however, recognition for those who run companies, or write books, or in some way achieved something like turning 3 dollars into a multi-million dollar company with her eyes blindfolded and balancing on one foot. I don't see myself in that pile.
What Qualifies as Technical These Days?
I'm not sure being able to read programming code on web pages matters much. Search engine marketing requires a wide skill set, but understanding why certain techniques work or don't work often comes from playing in the sandbox with databases and analyzing server logs. Are those last two things technical? Is user centered design technical or making online forms work for screen readers?
I don't always understand, or want to understand, what my programming friends are working on, but in theory, I understand why they're doing it. I may even be able to read the code and know what it will do. No kudos for that. It may not be techy enough.
I admit to being confused and frustrated. I'm confused because I thought I knew what women in tech meant and really, I don't. I know what women who understand technical stuff is and women who are so smart they teach tech stuff to others is, but if they no longer actually do the tech stuff, do they still qualify?
If you stop "working" to raise new humans, does this mean you no longer count as a tech chick because your degree is sitting in the basement somewhere and people think you fell off the planet?
After pondering this for several days, I decided to let go of the "Where are the women in tech?" contest and the question. It doesn't mean those women don't exist or that one set of technical skills is more technically technical than others. It doesn't mean I won't periodically want to write about a woman who stands out for her technical skills in a male dominated industry.
It does mean that I recognize there are more tech chicks and women in tech out there that I could ever count because my personal definition is like a wide net tossed out into the ocean.
I may be inside it, somewhere.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cyclist died after crashing into stationary lorry in Changi
Published on May 6, 2013 7:44 AM
THE lorry involved in the accident that killed a cyclist on Changi Coast Road last Saturday was stationary at the time.
The cyclist, whose name was not given, was a 29-year-old Briton who was working in a bank in Singapore.
He is understood to have been riding in a small group along the popular 7km stretch when he collided with the rear of the lorry.
He was pronounced dead on the spot by paramedics.
To continue reading, log in if you are a subscriber
If you are not a subscriber, you can get instant, unlimited access here


text:
Five-time world rally champion Sebastien Loebs test run on Monday at Barcelonas Circuit de Catalunya caused a stir at the Spanish track, not least because Loeb eventually clocked the eighth-fastest time in the Red Bull. And after stepping out of the cockpit, the Frenchman was clearly thrilled with his ride in the RB4
Q: Sebastien, how was the test for you? Driving a Formula One car is distinctively different to what you are normally used to
Sebastien Loeb: Oh yes, it is. You have a lot of grip, your braking mode is totally different and you have these high-speed corners. It is simply not comparable with my usual racing. In Formula One you brake so much later. Finding the right braking points kept me busy throughout the morning session, but I think I improved in the afternoon. And once I got used to that, I was able to work on the speed and I think overall it worked pretty well.
Q: You completed 82 laps and you didnt seem to have any problems, so are you satisfied with your performance?
SL: Yes, overall I am happy. When I started, I focused on understanding quickly how the car works, and over the course of the day, I tried to improve and work simultaneously on the settings. In the morning, it didnt work so well but towards the end of the afternoon session, the times were going down - and I had the impression that I can do even better.
Q: At tests it is always difficult to judge the times of other drivers, as you never know what fuel load or set-ups the others are running. But the fact that you have been two and a half seconds quicker than Bruno Senna, someone highly rated in Formula One circles, must leave you with a pretty good feeling
SL: Yes, indeed. When I started this morning I didnt know where I would be in the end and a time of 1m 22.5s is a good result to go home with. We had low fuel and new tyres but when you use new tyres it is the first lap that is best, but I always need two to get in the rhythm again. So I probably lost my opportunity to do better. But I am satisfied that I consistently improved over the course of the day.
Q: The most significant differences to your normal racing job were obviously the downforce and the late braking. How did you cope with those differences?
SL: I knew that there would be a braking issue and I was surprised by how quickly you get used to that. In the morning, I thought it almost impossible, but lap by lap it worked better and better. And in the last ten laps it was no longer an issue.
Q: Was it easier or more difficult than you expected?
SL: That is difficult to say. I am happy because at the end of the afternoon session I was really feeling comfortable in the car. I didnt make any mistakes and had no big moments, I just tried to improve without taking big risks. And in the end, the time was not so bad - and I know now that I can go faster.
Q: How are you feeling? Only some of the regular Formula One guys did more laps than you
SL: I have known for three weeks that I would do this test, so I tried to prepare myself a bit. Right now I feel very good, but probably tomorrow my neck will remind me what I did!
Q: The force on your body during this test - was it worse than during the 24 hours of Le Mans?
SL: You cannot compare. It is something completely different. It's true Le Mans is very long but I would not like to do Le Mans in a Formula One car. It is much harder.
Q: How did it feel with the slick tyres?
SL: I dont know. I didnt drive with the other ones so I have no experience of them to compare.
Q: Will you test a Formula One car again in the near future?
SL: Thats a good question. I would like to, but that depends on my time - and if the team doesnt need their test slots for their own drivers in preparation for the season.
Q: Is a Formula One drive on your agenda in the future? Or was this test just a break from your normal duties?
SL: I dont think so. I am maybe a bit too old for that. But for sure it is a very exciting experience for me. And regarding the holiday - believe me, sitting in a Formula One car is far from being relaxing!


text:
Published on
United States Bankruptcy Court
Judge Jaroslovsky
Memorandum of Decision Re: Late Claim
> Content
Memorandum of Decision Re: Late Claim
Printer-friendly version
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA In re K&M GLASS CO., INC., No. 1-86-01074 Debtor. ___________________________/
Memorandum of Decision
I. Introduction This Chapter 11 case was commenced on July 7, 1986. A bar date for claims was set for October 31, 1986. A plan of reorganization was confirmed on May 7, 1987, and distributions under the plan began in May, 1988. Since that time, the debtor has paid almost all of its claims; full payment will be achieved within a few months. In March of 1988, auditors for the Northern California Glaziers, Architectural Metal and Glassworkers Welfare Trust ("Trust") completed an audit of the debtor's records and determined that the debtor owed it about $60,000.00 in benefit payments, mostly prepetition. At that time, the attorney for the trust learned that the debtor was in bankruptcy. The Trust had not been scheduled as a creditor, although union officials had knowledge of the bankruptcy. Although the Trust had full knowledge of its claim, the bankruptcy filing, and confirmation of the debtor's plan by August of 1988, due to an "oversight" in its counsel's office no action was taken for almost four years, during which time the debtor reorganized its affairs, paid its creditors, and acquired assets pursuant to its confirmed plan. The Trust's motion now before the court seeks leave to modify the plan, file a dischargeability action, and file a late claim.
II. Modification of the Plan
There is no basis upon which a plan can be modified at the request of a creditor. Section 1127(b) of the Bankruptcy Code restricts the right to modify the plan to the plan proponent or the reorganized debtor, and provides that the plan may not be modified after substantial consummation. The Trust was not the plan proponent, and the plan has been substantially consummated. The motion to modify the plan must therefore be denied. The court notes that it is also far too late to seek revocation of confirmation pursuant to section 1144 of the Code.
III. Dischargeability Action
The Trust's arguments regarding the statute of limitations for filing a dischargeability action are meaningless, as there is no such thing as a dischargeability action against a corporate debtor. Section 1141(d)(2), which excepts certain debts from discharge, does not apply to corporations. see
A.H. Robins, Inc.
, 828 F.2d 1029 (4th Cir 1987).
IV. Leave to File Late Claim
While the court recognizes its equitable power to allow late claims in certain instances, no good cause exists to do so in this case. Had the Trust timely asserted its claim in 1988, before the debtor began performing its plan, the claim could have been litigated and allowed and the plan modified if needed. It is patently unfair to the debtor to force it to litigate the issue now, after it has paid almost all of its debts and at a time when itno longer has the power to modify the plan. Moreover, the reasons put forward as excusing the four-year delay in bringing this matter before the court do not come close to good cause. Counsel for the Trust attempts to blame the clerk's office for only making the file available rather than copying what was already a voluminous file. She further blames the effect on her of "the internal changes resulting from the departure of two of the firm's five attorneys, and the hiring of two others." The court finds such excuses insufficient to justify the failure to act in a timely manner.
V. Conclusion
Regardless of whether earlier knowledge of the bankruptcy proceedings can be imputed to the Trust, it clearly had knowledge of all relevant facts by August of 1988. Its failure to act in a timely and responsible manner thereafter is unjustified, and the prejudice to the debtor in allowing claims litigation to proceed at this late date would be severe. Accordingly, its motion will be denied in its entirety. Counsel for the debtor shall submit an appropriate form of order.
Dated: August 3, 1992 _______________________ Alan Jaroslovsky U.S. Bankruptcy
Source URL (retrieved on
03/02/2015 - 16:34
[1] http://www.canb.uscourts.gov/print/1297


text:
Liberty High School football coach John Truby confirmed senior wide receiver K.J. Williams will be a "game-time decision" as the Hurricanes open their 2013 campaign against State College on Saturday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.
The Syracuse University-bound Williams suffered a knee injury in summer camp and missed Liberty's two preseason scrimmages.
"He's been strength training; has flexibility with it for about a week," Truby said. "He's fine. I think another week will probably put him back to 100 percent. He's at 80-90 percent. ... He wants to play."
Williams, the 2012 Express-Times Player of the Year, caught 59 passes for 986 yards and 11 TDs last fall.
Truby also said senior wide receiver Derek Byrd is dealing with an ankle issue and he doesn't think the converted quarterback will be ready for this weekend.
While the Hurricanes may be without their top two receivers, Truby is confident in his team's depth at the position.
Junior Elijah Hall, who was competing with sophomore Doug Erney for the starting quarterback position, will give the team help on the outside, Truby said.
The first-year coach also said players including senior Xavier Wilcher, junior Izaiah Avent, sophomore Sean West and freshman Dayvon Reimert could see more time at receiver.


text:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
(6aR,9R)- N,N- diethyl- 7-methyl- 4,6,6a,7,8,9- hexahydroindolo- [4,3-fg] quinoline- 9-carboxamide | |
Clinical data | |
Pregnancy cat. | C (US) |
Legal status | Prohibited (S9) (AU) Schedule III (CA) CD (UK) Schedule I (US) |
Routes | Oral, Intravenous, Ocular, Intramuscular |
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Metabolism | Hepatic |
Half-life | 3–5 hours[1][2] |
Excretion | Renal |
Identifiers | |
CAS number | 50-37-3 |
ATC code | ? |
PubChem | CID 5761 |
IUPHAR ligand | 17 |
DrugBank | DB04829 |
ChemSpider | 5558 |
ChEBI | CHEBI:6605 |
ChEMBL | CHEMBL263881 |
Synonyms | LSD, LSD-25, lysergide, D-lysergic acid diethyl amide, N,N- diethyl- D- lysergamide |
Chemical data | |
Formula | C20H25N3O |
Mol. mass | 323.43 g/mol |
| |
| |
Physical data | |
Melt. point | 80–85 °C (176–185 °F) |
(what is this?) (verify) |
Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
(6aR,9R)- N,N- diethyl- 7-methyl- 4,6,6a,7,8,9- hexahydroindolo- [4,3-fg] quinoline- 9-carboxamide | |
Clinical data | |
Pregnancy cat. | C (US) |
Legal status | Prohibited (S9) (AU) Schedule III (CA) CD (UK) Schedule I (US) |
Routes | Oral, Intravenous, Ocular, Intramuscular |
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Metabolism | Hepatic |
Half-life | 3–5 hours[1][2] |
Excretion | Renal |
Identifiers | |
CAS number | 50-37-3 |
ATC code | ? |
PubChem | CID 5761 |
IUPHAR ligand | 17 |
DrugBank | DB04829 |
ChemSpider | 5558 |
ChEBI | CHEBI:6605 |
ChEMBL | CHEMBL263881 |
Synonyms | LSD, LSD-25, lysergide, D-lysergic acid diethyl amide, N,N- diethyl- D- lysergamide |
Chemical data | |
Formula | C20H25N3O |
Mol. mass | 323.43 g/mol |
| |
| |
Physical data | |
Melt. point | 80–85 °C (176–185 °F) |
(what is this?) (verify) |
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide (INN) and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture. It is used mainly as an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose, although in rare cases adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety or delusions are possible.[3]
LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine, a chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye. The short form "LSD" comes from its early code name LSD-25, which is an abbreviation for the German "Lysergsäure-diethylamid" followed by a sequential number.[4][5] LSD is sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in solution, though its potency may last for years if it is stored away from light and moisture at low temperature. In pure form it is a colorless, odorless, and mildly bitter solid.[6] LSD is typically delivered orally, usually on a substrate such as absorbent blotter paper, a sugar cube, or gelatin. In its liquid form, it can also be administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. LSD is very potent, with 20–30 µg (micrograms) being the threshold dose. New experiments with LSD have started in 2009 for the first time in 40 years.[7]
Introduced by Sandoz Laboratories, with trade-name Delysid, as a drug with various psychiatric uses in 1947, LSD quickly became a therapeutic agent that appeared to show great promise.[8] In the 1950s, officials at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) thought the drug might be applicable to mind control and chemical warfare; the agency's MKULTRA research program propagated the drug among young servicemen and students. The subsequent recreational use of the drug by youth culture in the Western world during the 1960s led to a political firestorm that resulted in its prohibition.[9] Currently, a number of organizations—including the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, Heffter Research Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundation—exist to fund, encourage and coordinate research into the medicinal and spiritual uses of LSD and related psychedelics.[10]
Contents |
LSD can cause pupil dilation, reduced appetite (for some, it increases), and wakefulness. Other physical reactions to LSD are highly variable and nonspecific, and some of these reactions may be secondary to the psychological effects of LSD. The following symptoms have been reported: numbness, weakness, nausea, hypothermia or hyperthermia, elevated blood sugar, goose bumps, increase in heart rate, jaw clenching, perspiration, saliva production, mucus production, sleeplessness, hyperreflexia, and tremors. Some users, including Albert Hofmann, report a strong metallic taste for the duration of the effects.[11]
LSD is not considered addictive by the medical community.[12] Rapid tolerance build-up prevents regular use, and there is cross-tolerance shown between LSD, mescaline[13] and psilocybin.[14] This tolerance diminishes after a few days without use and is probably caused by downregulation of 5-HT2A receptors in the brain[15][16]
LSD's psychological effects (colloquially called a "trip") vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength. They also vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a single trip. An LSD trip can have long-term psychoemotional effects; some users cite the LSD experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life perspective[citation needed]. Widely different effects emerge based on what Timothy Leary called set and setting; the "set" being the general mindset of the user, and the "setting" being the physical and social environment in which the drug's effects are experienced.
Some psychological effects may include an experience of radiant colors, objects and surfaces appearing to ripple or "breathe", colored patterns behind the closed eyelids (eidetic imagery), an altered sense of time (time seems to be stretching, repeating itself, changing speed or stopping), crawling geometric patterns overlaying walls and other objects, morphing objects, a sense that one's thoughts are spiraling into themselves, loss of a sense of identity or the ego (known as "ego death"), and other powerful psycho-physical reactions.[17] Many users experience a dissolution between themselves and the "outside world".[18] This unitive quality may play a role in the spiritual and religious aspects of LSD. The drug sometimes leads to disintegration or restructuring of the user's historical personality and creates a mental state that some users report allows them to have more choice regarding the nature of their own personality.
If the user is in a hostile or otherwise unsettling environment, or is not mentally prepared for the powerful distortions in perception and thought that the drug causes, effects are more likely to be unpleasant than if he or she is in a comfortable environment and has a relaxed, balanced and open mindset.[19]
LSD causes an altered sensory experience of senses, emotions, memories, time, and awareness for 6 to 14 hours, depending on dosage and tolerance. Generally beginning within thirty to ninety minutes after ingestion, the user may experience anything from subtle changes in perception to overwhelming cognitive shifts. Changes in auditory and visual perception are typical.[18][20] Visual effects include the illusion of movement of static surfaces ("walls breathing"), after image-like trails of moving objects ("tracers"), the appearance of moving colored geometric patterns (especially with closed eyes), an intensification of colors and brightness ("sparkling"), new textures on objects, blurred vision, and shape suggestibility. Users commonly report that the inanimate world appears to animate in an unexplainable way; for instance, objects that are static in three dimensions can seem to be moving relative to one or more additional spatial dimensions.[21] Many of the basic visual effects resemble the phosphenes seen after applying pressure to the eye and have also been studied under the name "form constants". The auditory effects of LSD may include echo-like distortions of sounds, changes in ability to discern concurrent auditory stimuli, and a general intensification of the experience of music. Higher doses often cause intense and fundamental distortions of sensory perception such as synaesthesia, the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions, and temporary dissociation.
LSD has been used in psychiatry for its perceived therapeutic value, in the treatment of alcoholism, pain and cluster headache relief, for spiritual purposes, and to enhance creativity. However, government organizations like the United States Drug Enforcement Administration maintain that LSD "produces no aphrodisiac effects, does not increase creativity, has no lasting positive effect in treating alcoholics or criminals, does not produce a 'model psychosis', and does not generate immediate personality change."[22]
In the 1950s and 1960s LSD was used in psychiatry to enhance psychotherapy. Some psychiatrists believed LSD was especially useful at helping patients to "unblock" repressed subconscious material through other psychotherapeutic methods,[23] and also for treating alcoholism.[24][25] One study concluded, "The root of the therapeutic value of the LSD experience is its potential for producing self-acceptance and self-surrender,"[26] presumably by forcing the user to face issues and problems in that individual's psyche.
In December 1968, a survey was made of all 74 UK doctors who had used LSD in humans; 73 replied, 1 had moved overseas and was unavailable. The majority of UK doctors with clinical experience with LSD felt that LSD was effective and had acceptable safety:
From 2008–2011 there has been ongoing research in Switzerland into using LSD to alleviate anxiety for terminally ill cancer patients coping with their impending deaths. Preliminary results from the study are promising, and no negative effects have been reported.[28][29][30]
Some studies in the 1950s that used LSD to treat alcoholism professed a 50% success rate,[31][32] five times higher than estimates near 10% for Alcoholics Anonymous.[33] A 1998 review was inconclusive.[34] However, a 2012 meta-analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials found evidence that a single dose of LSD was associated with a decrease in alcohol abuse, lasting for several months.[35]
LSD was studied in the 1960s by Eric Kast as an analgesic for serious and chronic pain caused by cancer or other major trauma.[36] Even at low (sub-psychedelic) dosages, it was found to be at least as effective as traditional opiates, while being much longer lasting in pain reduction (lasting as long as a week after peak effects had subsided). Kast attributed this effect to a decrease in anxiety; that is to say that patients were not experiencing less pain, but rather were less distressed by the pain they experienced. This reported effect is being tested (though not using LSD) in an ongoing (as of 2006) study of the effects of psilocybin on anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
LSD has been used as a treatment for cluster headaches, an uncommon but extremely painful disorder. Researcher Peter Goadsby describes the headaches as "worse than natural childbirth or even amputation without anesthetic."[37] Although the phenomenon has not been formally investigated, case reports indicate that LSD and psilocybin can reduce cluster pain and also interrupt the cluster-headache cycle, preventing future headaches from occurring. Currently existing treatments include various ergolines, among other chemicals, so LSD's efficacy may not be surprising. A dose-response study testing the effectiveness of both LSD and psilocybin was planned at McLean Hospital, although the current status of this project is unclear. A 2006 study by McLean researchers interviewed 53 cluster-headache sufferers who treated themselves with either LSD or psilocybin, finding that a majority of the users of either drug reported beneficial effects.[38] Unlike use of LSD or MDMA in psychotherapy, this research involves non-psychological effects and often sub-psychedelic dosages.[39][40]
LSD is considered an entheogen because it can catalyze intense spiritual experiences, during which users may feel they have come into contact with a greater spiritual or cosmic order. Users claim to experience lucid sensations where they have "out of body" experiences. Some users report insights into the way the mind works, and some experience permanent shifts in their life perspective. LSD also allows users to view their life from an introspective point of view. Some users report using introspection to resolve unresolved or negative feelings towards an individual or incident that occurred in the past. Some users consider LSD a religious sacrament, or a powerful tool for access to the divine. Stanislav Grof has written that religious and mystical experiences observed during LSD sessions appear to be phenomenologically indistinguishable from similar descriptions in the sacred scriptures of the great religions of the world and the secret mystical texts of ancient civilizations.[41]
In the 1950s and 1960s, psychiatrists like Oscar Janiger explored the potential effect of LSD on creativity. Experimental studies attempted to measure the effect of LSD on creative activity and aesthetic appreciation.[42][43][44][45] Seventy professional artists were asked to draw two pictures of a Hopi Indian kachina doll, one before ingesting LSD and one after.[46]
There have been no documented human deaths from an LSD overdose.[47] It is physiologically well tolerated and there is no evidence for long-lasting physiological effects on the brain or other parts of the human organism.[48]
LSD may temporarily impair the ability to make sensible judgments and understand common dangers, thus making the user more susceptible to accidents and personal injury. It may cause temporary confusion, difficulty with abstract thinking, or signs of impaired memory and attention span.[49]
There is some indication that LSD may trigger a dissociative fugue state in individuals who are taking certain classes of antidepressants such as lithium salts and tricyclics. In such a state, the user has an impulse to wander, and may not be aware of his or her actions, which can lead to physical injury. Anonymous anecdotal reports have attributed seizures and one death to the combination of LSD with lithium.[50] SSRIs noticeably reduce LSD's subjective effects.[51] MAOIs are also reported to reduce the effects of LSD.[50]
LSD may trigger panic attacks or feelings of extreme anxiety, colloquially referred to as a "bad trip". No real prolonged effects have been proven, however people with such conditions as schizophrenia and depression can worsen with LSD.[52]
While publicly available documents indicate that the CIA and Department Of Defense have discontinued research into the use of LSD as a means of mind control,[53] research from the 1960s suggests there exists evidence that both mentally ill and healthy people are more suggestible while under its influence.[54][55]
There are some cases of LSD inducing a psychosis in people who appeared to be healthy before taking LSD.[56] In most cases, the psychosis-like reaction is of short duration, but in other cases it may be chronic. It is difficult to determine whether LSD itself induces these reactions or if it triggers latent conditions that would have manifested themselves otherwise. The similarities of time course and outcomes between putatively LSD-precipitated and other psychoses suggest that the two types of syndromes are not different and that LSD may have been a nonspecific trigger.[citation needed]
Estimates of the prevalence of LSD-induced prolonged psychosis lasting over 48 hours have been made by surveying researchers and therapists who had administered LSD:
However, in neither survey study was it possible to compare the rate of lasting psychosis in these volunteers and patients receiving LSD with the rate of psychosis found in other groups of research volunteers or in other methods of psychiatric treatment (for example, those receiving placebo).
Cohen (1960) noted:[57]
"Flashbacks" are a reported psychological phenomenon in which an individual experiences an episode of some of LSD's subjective effects long after the drug has worn off, usually in the days after typical doses. In some rarer cases, flashbacks have lasted longer, but are generally short-lived and mild compared to the actual LSD "trip". Flashbacks can incorporate both positive and negative aspects of LSD trips, and are typically elicited by triggers such as alcohol or cannabis use, stress, caffeine, or sleepiness. Flashbacks have proven difficult to study and are no longer officially recognized as a psychiatric syndrome. However, colloquial usage of the term persists and usually refers to any drug-free experience reminiscent of psychedelic drug effects, with the typical connotation that the episodes are of short duration.
No definitive explanation is currently available for these experiences. Any attempt at explanation must reflect several observations: first, over 70 percent of LSD users claim never to have "flashed back"; second, the phenomenon does appear linked with LSD use, though a causal connection has not been established; and third, a higher proportion of psychiatric patients report flashbacks than other users.[58] Several studies have tried to determine how likely a user of LSD, not suffering from known psychiatric conditions, is to experience flashbacks. The larger studies include Blumenfeld's in 1971[59] and Naditch and Fenwick's in 1977,[60] which arrived at figures of 20% and 28%, respectively.
Although flashbacks themselves are not recognized as a medical syndrome, there is a recognized syndrome called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) in which LSD-like visual changes are not temporary and brief, as they are in flashbacks, but instead are persistent, and cause clinically significant impairment or distress. The syndrome is a DSM-IV diagnosis. Several scientific journal articles have described the disorder.[61]
HPPD differs from flashbacks in that it is persistent and apparently entirely visual (although mood and anxiety disorders are sometimes diagnosed in the same individuals). A recent review suggests that HPPD (as defined in the DSM-IV) is rare and affects only a distinctly vulnerable subpopulation of users.[62] However, it is possible that the prevalence of HPPD is underestimated because most of the diagnoses are applied to people who are willing to admit to their health care practitioner that they have previously used psychotropics, and presumably many people are reluctant to admit this.[63]
There is no consensus regarding the nature and causes of HPPD (or flashbacks). A study of 44 HPPD subjects who had previously ingested LSD showed EEG abnormalities.[64] Given that some symptoms have environmental triggers, it may represent a failure to adjust visual processing to changing environmental conditions. There are no explanations for why only some individuals develop HPPD. Explanations in terms of LSD physically remaining in the body for months or years after consumption have been discounted by experimental evidence.[58] Some say HPPD is a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder, not related to the direct action of LSD on brain chemistry, and varies according to the susceptibility of the individual to the disorder. Many emotionally intense experiences can lead to flashbacks when a person is reminded acutely of the original experience. However, not all published case reports of HPPD appear to describe an anxious hyper-vigilant state reminiscent of post-traumatic stress disorder. Instead, some cases appear to involve only visual symptoms.[58]
Early pharmacological testing by Sandoz in laboratory animals showed that LSD can stimulate uterine contractions, with efficacy comparable to ergobasine, the active uterotonic component of the ergot fungus. (Hofmann's work on ergot derivatives also produced a modified form of ergobasine which became a widely accepted medication used in obstetrics, under the trade name Methergine.) Therefore, LSD use by pregnant women could be dangerous and is contraindicated.[4] However, the relevance of these animal studies to humans is unclear, and a 2008 medical reference guide to drugs in pregnancy and lactation stated, "It appears unlikely that pure LSD administered in a controlled condition is an abortifacient."[65]
Beginning in 1967, studies raised concerns that LSD might produce genetic damage[66] or developmental abnormalities in fetuses. However, these initial reports were based on in vitro studies or were poorly controlled and have not been substantiated. In studies of chromosomal changes in human users and in monkeys, the balance of evidence suggests no increase in chromosomal damage. For example, white blood cells of people who had been given LSD in a clinical setting were examined for visible chromosomal abnormalities; overall, there appeared to be no lasting changes.[66] Several studies have been conducted using illicit LSD users and provide a less clear picture. Interpretation of these data is generally complicated by factors such as the unknown chemical composition of street LSD, concurrent use of other psychoactive drugs, and diseases such as hepatitis in the sampled populations. It seems possible the small number of genetic abnormalities reported in users of street LSD is either coincidental or related to factors other than a toxic effect of pure LSD.[66] A 2008 medical review concluded, "The available data suggest that pure LSD does not cause chromosomal abnormalities, spontaneous abortions, or congenital malformations. In 1969 Moseley (now Gottschalk) working at the University of California, Riverside, under Edward Crellin Pauling, using e. coli ligase mutant strain obtained results indicating no breakage and that therapeutically high doses actually reduced breakage."[65]
Reassurance in a calm, safe environment is beneficial. Agitation can be safely addressed with benzodiazepines such as Valium, but neuroleptics such as Haldol should be avoided because they may cause hallucinations or paranoid delusions. LSD is rapidly absorbed, so activated charcoal and emptying of the stomach may be of little benefit in the emergency department. Sedation or physical restraint is rarely required, and excessive restraint may cause complications such as hyperthermia (over-heating) or rhabdomyolysis.[67]
Massive doses require supportive care, which may include endotracheal intubation or respiratory support. High blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid heart-beat) and hyperthermia, if present, should be treated symptomatically. Treat low blood pressure initially with fluids and then with pressors if necessary. Intravenous administration of anticoagulants, vasodilators, and sympatholytics may be useful with massive doses. Balloon percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has been employed in some severe cases.[67]
LSD is an ergoline derivative. It is commonly synthesised by reacting diethylamine with an activated form of lysergic acid. Activating reagents include phosphoryl chloride[68] and peptide coupling reagents.[69] Lysergic acid is made by alkaline hydrolysis of lysergamides like ergotamine, a substance derived from the ergot fungus on rye, or from ergine (lysergic acid amide, LSA), a compound that is found in morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) and Hawaiian baby woodrose (Argyreia nervosa) seeds.
LSD is a chiral compound with two stereocenters at the carbon atoms C-5 and C-8, so that theoretically four different optical isomers of LSD could exist. LSD, also called (+)-D-LSD, has the absolute configuration (5R,8R). The C-5 isomers of lysergamides do not exist in nature and are not formed during the synthesis from D-lysergic acid. Retrosynthetically, the C-5 stereocenter could be analysed as having the same configuration of the alpha carbon of the naturally occurring amino acid L-tryptophan, the precursor to all biosynthetic ergoline compounds.
However, LSD and iso-LSD, the two C-8 isomers, rapidly interconvert in the presence of bases, as the alpha proton is acidic and can be deprotonated and reprotonated. Non-psychoactive iso-LSD which has formed during the synthesis can be separated by chromatography and can be isomerized to LSD.
A totally pure salt of LSD will emit small flashes of white light when shaken in the dark.[5] LSD is strongly fluorescent and will glow bluish-white under UV light.
"LSD," writes the chemist Alexander Shulgin, "is an unusually fragile molecule."[5] It is stable for indefinite time if stored as a solid salt or dissolved in water, at low temperature and protected from air and light exposure.
LSD has two labile protons at the tertiary stereogenic C5 and C8 positions, rendering these centres prone to epimerisation. The C8 proton is more labile due to the electron-withdrawing carboxamide attachment, but removal of the chiral proton at the C5 position (which was once also an alpha proton of the parent molecule tryptophan) is assisted by the inductively withdrawing nitrogen and pi electron delocalisation with the indole ring.[citation needed]
LSD also has enamine-type reactivity because of the electron-donating effects of the indole ring. Because of this, chlorine destroys LSD molecules on contact; even though chlorinated tap water contains only a slight amount of chlorine, the small quantity of compound typical to an LSD solution will likely be eliminated when dissolved in tap water.[5] The double bond between the 8-position and the aromatic ring, being conjugated with the indole ring, is susceptible to nucleophilic attacks by water or alcohol, especially in the presence of light. LSD often converts to "lumi-LSD", which is inactive in human beings.[5]
A controlled study was undertaken to determine the stability of LSD in pooled urine samples.[70] The concentrations of LSD in urine samples were followed over time at various temperatures, in different types of storage containers, at various exposures to different wavelengths of light, and at varying pH values. These studies demonstrated no significant loss in LSD concentration at 25°C for up to four weeks. After four weeks of incubation, a 30% loss in LSD concentration at 37°C and up to a 40% at 45°C were observed. Urine fortified with LSD and stored in amber glass or nontransparent polyethylene containers showed no change in concentration under any light conditions. Stability of LSD in transparent containers under light was dependent on the distance between the light source and the samples, the wavelength of light, exposure time, and the intensity of light. After prolonged exposure to heat in alkaline pH conditions, 10 to 15% of the parent LSD epimerized to iso-LSD. Under acidic conditions, less than 5% of the LSD was converted to iso-LSD. It was also demonstrated that trace amounts of metal ions in buffer or urine could catalyze the decomposition of LSD and that this process can be avoided by the addition of EDTA.
A single dose of LSD may be between 100 and 500 micrograms—an amount roughly equal to one-tenth the mass of a grain of sand. Threshold effects can be felt with as little as 25 micrograms of LSD.[7][71] Dosages of LSD are measured in micrograms (µg), or millionths of a gram. By comparison, dosages of most drugs, both recreational and medicinal, are measured in milligrams (mg), or thousandths of a gram. For example, an active dose of mescaline, roughly 0.2 to 0.5g, has effects comparable to 100 µg or less of LSD.[4]
Typical doses in the 1960s ranged from 200 to 1000 µg while street samples of the 1970s contained 30 to 300 µg. By the 1980s, the amount had reduced to between 100 and 125 µg, lowering more in the 1990s to the 20–80 µg range,[72] and even more in the 2000s (decade).[73] [74]
Estimates for the median lethal dose (LD50) of LSD range from 200 µg/kg to more than 1 mg/kg of human body mass, though most sources report that there are no known human cases of such an overdose. Other sources note one report of a suspected fatal overdose of LSD occurring in November 1975 in Kentucky in which there were indications that ~1/3 of a gram (320 mg or 320,000 µg) had been injected intravenously. (This is a very extraordinary amount, equivalent to over 3,000 times the average LSD dosage of ~100 µg).[75][76] Experiments with LSD have also been done on animals; in 1962, an elephant named Tusko died shortly after being injected with 297 mg, but whether the LSD was the cause of his death is controversial (due, in part, to a plethora of other chemical substances administered simultaneously).[77]
LSD's effects normally last from 6–12 hours depending on dosage, tolerance, body weight and age.[5] The Sandoz prospectus for "Delysid" warned: "intermittent disturbances of affect may occasionally persist for several days."[4] Contrary to early reports and common belief, LSD effects do not last longer than the amount of time significant levels of the drug are present in the blood. Aghajanian and Bing (1964) found LSD had an elimination half-life of only 175 minutes.[1] However, using more accurate techniques, Papac and Foltz (1990) reported that 1 µg/kg oral LSD given to a single male volunteer had an apparent plasma half-life of 5.1 hours, with a peak plasma concentration of 5 ng/mL at 3 hours post-dose.[2]
LSD may be quantified in urine as part of a drug abuse testing program, in plasma or serum to confirm a diagnosis of poisoning in hospitalized victims or in whole blood to assist in a forensic investigation of a traffic or other criminal violation or a case of sudden death. Both the parent drug and its major metabolite are unstable in biofluids when exposed to light, heat or alkaline conditions and therefore specimens are protected from light, stored at the lowest possible temperature and analyzed quickly to minimize losses.[78]
LSD affects a large number of the G protein coupled receptors, including all dopamine receptor subtypes, and all adrenoreceptor subtypes, as well as many others. LSD binds to most serotonin receptor subtypes except for 5-HT3 and 5-HT4. However, most of these receptors are affected at too low affinity to be sufficiently activated by the brain concentration of approximately 10–20 nM.[79] In humans, recreational doses of LSD can affect 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, 5-HT5A, and 5-HT6 receptors.[1][80] 5-HT5B receptors, which are not present in humans, also have a high affinity for LSD.[81] The psychedelic effects of LSD are attributed to its strong partial agonist effects at 5-HT2A receptors as specific 5-HT2A agonists are psychedelics and largely 5-HT2A specific antagonists block the psychedelic activity of LSD.[79] Exactly how this produces the drug's effects is unknown, but it is thought that it works by increasing glutamate release in the cerebral cortex and therefore excitation in this area, specifically in layers IV and V.[82] LSD, like many other drugs, has been shown to activate DARPP-32-related pathways.[83]
"... affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."
LSD was first synthesized on November 16, 1938[85] by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland as part of a large research program searching for medically useful ergot alkaloid derivatives. LSD's psychedelic properties were discovered 5 years later when Hofmann himself accidentally ingested an unknown quantity of the chemical.[86] The first intentional ingestion of LSD occurred on April 19, 1943,[87] when Hofmann ingested 250 µg of LSD. He said, this would be a threshold dose based on the dosages of other ergot alkaloids. Hofmann found the effects to be much stronger than he anticipated.[88] Sandoz Laboratories introduced LSD as a psychiatric drug in 1947.[89]
Beginning in the 1950s the US Central Intelligence Agency began a research program code named Project MKULTRA. Experiments included administering LSD to CIA employees, military personnel, doctors, other government agents, prostitutes, mentally ill patients, and members of the general public in order to study their reactions, usually without the subject's knowledge. The project was revealed in the US congressional Rockefeller Commission report in 1975.
In 1963 the Sandoz patents expired on LSD.[72] Also in 1963, the US Food and Drug Administration classified LSD as an Investigational New Drug, which meant new restrictions on medical and scientific use.[72] Several figures, including Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, and Al Hubbard, began to advocate the consumption of LSD. LSD became central to the counterculture of the 1960s.[90] On October 24, 1968, possession of LSD was made illegal in the United States.[91] The last FDA approved study of LSD in patients ended in 1980, while a study in healthy volunteers was made in the late 1980s. Legally approved and regulated psychiatric use of LSD continued in Switzerland until 1993.[92] Today, medical research is resuming around the world.[93]
An active dose of LSD is very minute, allowing a large number of doses to be synthesized from a comparatively small amount of raw material. Five kilograms of precursor ergotamine tartrate can produce 5–6 kg of pure crystalline LSD; this corresponds to 100 million doses. Since the masses involved are so small, concealing and transporting illicit LSD is much easier than smuggling other illegal drugs like cocaine or cannabis.[94]
Manufacturing LSD requires laboratory equipment and experience in the field of organic chemistry. It takes two to three days to produce 30 to 100 grams of pure compound. It is believed that LSD is not usually produced in large quantities, but rather in a series of small batches. This technique minimizes the loss of precursor chemicals in case a step does not work as expected.[94]
LSD is produced in crystalline form and then mixed with excipients or redissolved for production in ingestible forms. Liquid solution is either distributed in small vials or, more commonly, sprayed onto or soaked into a distribution medium. Historically, LSD solutions were first sold on sugar cubes, but practical considerations forced a change to tablet form. Appearing in 1968 as an orange tablet measuring about 6 mm across, "Orange Sunshine" acid was the first largely available form of LSD after its possession was made illegal. Tim Scully, a prominent chemist, made some of it, but said that most "Sunshine" in the USA came by way of Ronald Stark, who imported approximately thirty-five million doses from Europe.[95]
Over a period of time, tablet dimensions, weight, shape and concentration of LSD evolved from large (4.5–8.1 mm diameter), heavyweight (≥150 mg), round, high concentration (90–350 µg/tab) dosage units to small (2.0–3.5 mm diameter) lightweight (as low as 4.7 mg/tab), variously shaped, lower concentration (12–85 µg/tab, average range 30–40 µg/tab) dosage units. LSD tablet shapes have included cylinders, cones, stars, spacecraft and heart shapes. The smallest tablets became known as "Microdots".[96]
After tablets came "computer acid" or "blotter paper LSD", typically made by dipping a preprinted sheet of blotting paper into an LSD/water/alcohol solution.[95][96] More than 200 types of LSD tablets have been encountered since 1969 and more than 350 blotter paper designs have been observed since 1975.[96] About the same time as blotter paper LSD came "Windowpane" (AKA "Clearlight"), which contained LSD inside a thin gelatin square a quarter of an inch (6 mm) across.[95] LSD has been sold under a wide variety of often short-lived and regionally restricted street names including Acid, Trips, Uncle Sid, Blotter, Lucy, Alice and doses, as well as names that reflect the designs on the sheets of blotter paper.[97][98] Authorities have encountered the drug in other forms—including powder or crystal, and capsule.[99]
LSD manufacturers and traffickers in the United States can be categorized into two groups: A few large-scale producers, and an equally limited number of small, clandestine chemists, consisting of independent producers who, operating on a comparatively limited scale, can be found throughout the country.[100] As a group, independent producers are of less concern to the Drug Enforcement Administration than the larger groups, as their product reaches only local markets.[101]
Since 2005, law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere has seized several chemicals and combinations of chemicals in blotter paper which were sold as LSD mimics, including DOB,[102][103] 2C-I,[104][105] DOC,[105] a mixture of DOC and DOI,[106] and a mixture of DOC and DOB.[107] Street users of LSD are often under the impression that blotter paper which is actively hallucinogenic can only be LSD because that is the only chemical with low enough doses to fit on a small square of blotter paper. While it is true that LSD requires lower doses than most other hallucinogens, blotter paper is capable of absorbing a much larger amount of material. The DEA performed a chromatographic analysis of blotter paper containing 2C-C which showed that the paper contained a much greater concentration of the active chemical than typical LSD doses, although the exact quantity was not determined.[108] Blotter LSD mimics can have relatively small dose squares; a sample of blotter paper containing DOC seized by Concord, California police had dose markings approximately 6 mm apart.[105]
The United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances (adopted in 1971) requires its parties to prohibit LSD. Hence, it is illegal in all parties to the convention, which includes the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe. However, enforcement of extant laws varies from country to country. Medical and scientific research with LSD in humans is permitted under the 1971 UN Convention.[109]
In Canada, LSD is a controlled substance under Schedule III of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.[110] Every person who seeks to obtain the substance, without disclosing authorization to obtain such substances 30 days before obtaining another prescription from a practitioner, is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years. Possession for purpose of trafficking is an indictable offense punishable by imprisonment for 10 years.
In the United Kingdom, LSD is a class 'A' drug. This means possession of the drug without a license is punishable with 7 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, and trafficking is punishable with life imprisonment and an unlimited fine (see main article on drug punishments Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).
In 2000, after consultation with members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Faculty of Substance Misuse, the UK Police Foundation issued the Runciman Report which recommended "the transfer of LSD from Class A to Class B".[111]
In November 2009, the UK Transform Drug Policy Foundation released in the House of Commons a guidebooks to the legal regulation of drugs, After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation, which details options for regulated distribution and sale of LSD and other psychedelics.[112]
LSD is Schedule I in the United States, according to the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.[113] This means LSD is illegal to manufacture, buy, possess, process, or distribute without a DEA license. By classifying LSD as a Schedule I substance, the Drug Enforcement Administration holds that LSD meets the following three criteria: it is deemed to have a high potential for abuse; it has no legitimate medical use in treatment; and there is a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision. There are no documented deaths from chemical toxicity; most LSD deaths are a result of behavioral toxicity.[114]
There can also be substantial discrepancies between the amount of chemical LSD that one possesses and the amount of possession with which one can be charged in the U.S. This is because LSD is almost always present in a medium (e.g. blotter or neutral liquid), and the amount that can be considered with respect to sentencing is the total mass of the drug and its medium. This discrepancy was the subject of 1995 United States Supreme Court case, Neal v. U.S.[115]
Lysergic acid and lysergic acid amide, LSD precursors, are both classified in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Ergotamine tartrate, a precursor to lysergic acid, is regulated under the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act.
Some notable individuals have commented publicly on their experiences with LSD.[116][117] Some of these comments date from the era when it was legally available in the US and Europe for non-medical uses, and others pertain to psychiatric treatment in the 1950s and 1960s. Still others describe experiences with illegal LSD, obtained for philosophic, artistic, therapeutic, spiritual, or recreational purposes.
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