/oss/taxonomy/term/2543/all en /oss/article/history/it-true-beatles-wrote-song-about-lsd <p>"Tangerine trees and marmalade skies" are to be found in the lyrics of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," one of the Beatles' greatest hits. Some have claimed that the first letters of Lucy, Sky and Diamonds supposedly refer to LSD, the famous hallucinogen that the Fab Four undoubtedly had some experience with. LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, does not occur in nature, but closely related compounds do.  </p> Fri, 15 Oct 2021 20:29:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8899 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/false-hopes-legal-marijuana <hr /> <p><em>One of the mandates of our Office is to foster students’ skills in communicating science. We encourage students to submit articles and we publish the ones that we consider to be well written. These pieces are totally the work of students and the opinions expressed are their own.</em></p> Tue, 30 Jan 2018 15:33:00 +0000 Rebecca Klein, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Writing Centre, Communicating Science 6906 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/what-makes-hard-drugs-hard-and-soft-drugs-soft <p>If you ask almost anyone if they know what a hard <span name="searchHitInReadingPane">drug</span><span> is, they’ll nod enthusiastically. Ask them to define a </span><a href="https://www.government.nl/topics/drugs/how-does-the-law-distinguish-between-soft-and-hard-drugs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hard vs a soft <span name="searchHitInReadingPane">drug</span></a><span> however and the nodding might stop.</span></p> Wed, 29 Nov 2017 21:45:55 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6838 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/kratom-potential-opioid-saviour <p><span>Kratom is rapidly becoming a choice recreational drug, but there's a good chance you've never heard of this substance, </span><a href="https://www.dea.gov/pr/multimedia-library/publications/drug_of_abuse.pdf#page84">which can cause</a> sedative effects like morphine at high doses as well as stimulating effects, like caffeine or methamphetamine at low doses. This drug is not new, though regulations concerning it are (at least in North America), and not everyone is pleased about them.</p> Fri, 16 Jun 2017 16:24:30 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2549 at /oss