Availability of LSD as perceived by U.S. 12th graders 1975-2021

In 2021, around 24 percent of 12th graders in the United States stated they felt it was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain LSD. This is a significant decrease from 54 percent of 12th graders who perceived the drug to be easy to obtain in the year 1995. LSD is a hallucinogenic drug that can alter the user’s thoughts, feelings, and perception of reality.

Teen drug availability

Similar to LSD, around 17 percent of 12th graders in the U.S. also perceived it easy to obtain cocaine. Perceived availability of cocaine among this group has decreased since the year 2007, in which 47 percent felt it was easy to obtain. Marijuana is the most used illicit drug among 12th graders, so it is unsurprising that perceived availability is high. In 2021, around 70 percent of 12th graders stated it was easy to obtain marijuana.

Drug use

Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug in the United States, with around 50 million people using this drug in the past year as of 2020. Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug, followed by LSD and ecstasy. In total, over 28 million people in the U.S. have used LSD in their lifetime.