Within the social history of LSD, three phases are to be distinguished:

• The historic use during the 1960s associated with the counterculture known as the Psychedelic Movement, going along with a general drug wave in the US and Europe
• the subsequent phase from the mid-70s and throughout the 1980s, with limited popularity of LSD-like drugs but persisting in small population groups; and
• a comeback of LSD observed since the 1990s; connected with the Techno/Rave culture and the popularity of synthetic party drugs, cannabis and hallucinogenig mushrooms.

The study concludes:

"Common features of related behaviours and attitudes formerly represented a non-conformist rebellious act against society, whereas today they manifest a ´dialectic consensus´ and general agreement with the broader sociocultural context. Both social realities seem to attach similar symbolic values to psychedelics; previously expressing a lack of or a need for alternatives, and today reflecting predominant cultural tendencies and concepts in a radicalised manner.

Since illegality likewise serves as a mark of distinction from the mainstream adult population with their preference for alcohol and sedative prescription drugs, young people use LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms as illicit tools in order to achieve socially accepted goals."

Old and New Policies, Theories, Research Methods and Drug Users Across Europe
Demetrovics, T.; Fountain, J.; Kraus, L. (Eds.)