Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a film infamous for its depiction of various types of drug use, particularly regarding psychedelics. The plot is driven by journalist Raoul Duke and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo on their drug-fueled journey to cover stories in Las Vegas. The film depicts various drugs such as mescaline, LSD, ether, marijuana, and a host of other substances, but this article will primarily focus on the depiction of LSD. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the film, Duke is shown taking several LSD tablets in paper towel form, then proceeds to ask how long he has until it takes effect. Gonzo tells him that he doesn't have much time and that he should speed up to get to Las Vegas before the drugs take effect. Just over half an hour later, the effects begin to take hold. . The waiter's face begins to change and move as he asks him questions and Duke can no longer maintain his composure as before. When he enters the building, he appears sweaty, blaming the Las Vegas heat. When he tries to talk to a woman behind the reception counter to get a press pass and a room, he can barely maintain composure to his questions, has virtually no ability to say what he wants to say in a normal way, and, like Prima of the waiter's face, everything moves and “breathes,” especially patterns on things like carpets and wallpaper, and people's faces. Soon after, he can't control himself anymore as everyone in the building seems to turn into lizards, and he starts to panic and can't keep his voice down when talking to Gonzo, drawing a lot of attention to himself, and is later taken to his hotel room and hides behind furniture and overall acts very paranoid. Now, the time required for subjective effects to manifest is typically 20-60 minutes after oral consumption and diffusion into the bloodstream and across the blood-brain barrier, and lasting 8-12 hours (Maisto, Galizio, and Connors 297- 8). This makes the time frame that the LSD kicks in and lasts accurate, as it is implied that it began to act on Duke within an hour and lasted until the next morning, where he says he didn't sleep, meaning from consumption ( less than an hour before sunset) the following morning (12 hours more or less), depending on the route of administration and duration of the effects. The physiological effects of LSD are generally similar to those of stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine (Maisto, Galizio, and Connors 299). This would make LSD sympathomimetic and lead to effects such as increased heart rate, hypertension, dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, and sweating. This is shown when Duke is sweating heavily before arriving at the hotel reception, blaming the hot Las Vegas weather, when in reality it is the large amount of LSD he has taken that causes these effects to occur. As for the vivid changes in what he was seeing, such as blinding lights, colors appearing, patterns and objects "breathing", and faces changing, etc. The reasons for this are difficult to pinpoint exactly, however, it is thought that because hallucinogens in the same class as LSD (serotonin hallucinogens) all bind to 5-HT2A receptors which have much to do with the effects that drugs such as l 'LSD has an impact on mood and perceptions, behaving similarly to serotonin (Maisto, Galizio, and Connors 297). It is also a known agonist of these receptors. However, since other drugs that affect serotonin also do not cause hallucinations.