The notion that LSD is safe is a dangerous misconception. The short-term effects are in and of themselves risky. “The immediate danger with acid is how your perception of time, speed and space go out the window,” says Winstock. He continues: “That means you might do something really stupid like get in the car and attempt to drive. A friend of mine at university got in his car, thought he was moving at 5 miles per hour, looked at the speedometer and realised he was driving at 30. Luckily, he thought, ‘I think I better get out of the car’, but many people wouldn’t, since LSD can not only impair your judgement, but take it away altogether.”The negative long-term effects of LSD have also been proven. The way Winstock describes the dangers is that the drug has the potential to “play origami” with your brain. “If you take it at the wrong time with the wrong people and you are someone who is prone to mental illness, it can trigger things,” he explains. “Everyone knows a story along the lines of ‘when my friend’s brother was 17 he took LSD and developed schizophrenia’. Well, although LSD does not cause schizophrenia, it very well might precipitate it or trigger it in someone who is vulnerable.”Winstock is quick to warn that there are people out there exploiting the possibility that psychedelic drugs offer a quick route to understanding yourself or having an awakening, but they can just as easily get you lost in a potentially fatal situation. Whether you’re buying drugs at festivals, on the dark web, or off a drug dealer, you’re always playing Russian Roulette with what that drug contains – and that’s before considering how the setting in which you take LSD, or your own mental state, will effect the outcome of your experience. Psychedelics might offer a short-term escape from the realities of life, but we ought to remember that there are much less risky ways to do that.LSD is a potentially harmful substance. If you're worried about drugs, visit the Frank website