Comment by mhh__
5 years ago
LSD is probably even more naughty. As far as I'm aware it's not a trivial synthesis by any means, so exactly where the supply comes from is probably a fascinating story never to be fully told. Buddhist Walter White's around the world, perhaps.
"exactly where the supply comes from is probably a fascinating story never to be fully told."
Where it's made is one matter but I'd imagine its only significant precursor would be ergotamine tartrate (a la Hoffman), as ergotamine is a commonly available drug for migraine (although somewhat less so than some years back, as it's been largely superceded by sumatriptan).
The next alternative I'd imagine would be to get 'raw' ergot and process it: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot although I'd guess that gathering and refining the fungus would be no mean feat for any backyard manufacturer.
It's hard to imagine there being any other major human-manufactured precursor due to the complexity of the molecule. Moreover, refined ergotamine for medical use is a mixture of various ergot alkaloids. Presumably, this would complicate the synthesis but I've never bothered to think about how it would or to what extent.
The DEA (so, not exactly a reliable source) claims Pickard was producing most of it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Leonard_Pickard
With the rise of online shopping, the big suppliers are a lot more visible than they were before. I like to read stories on forums sometimes.
It turns out there are more than a couple LSD labs, some having a bigger internet presence than others.
Suppliers will not sell directly to random people, but as it turns out their approved resellers are happy to offer spoonfuls of LSD in powder form to anyone who asks!
https://imgur.com/a/r2FkJOD (not my picture)
William Leonard Pickard and Owsley Stanley have interesting stories, some of which have been told.