Nicholas Sand, creator of famous ‘Orange Sunshine’ LSD, dies at 75

Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann may have invented LSD, and Timothy Leary was clearly its most prominent frontman.

But it was a self-taught chemist and obscure-by-choice figure named Nicholas Sand who was the true wizard behind the curtain, the man who launched tens of millions of acid trips across generations by producing the best, most pure, highest-quality acid ever consumed across generations.

Sands — who with fellow chemist Tim Scully created the legendary version of LSD known as “Orange Sunshine,” which hit the streets of San Francisco in 1967 — died April 24 at his home in the Northern California community of Lagunitas.

He was 75 and had spoken the day before at a Psychedelic Science Conference in Oakland, where the film “The Sunshine Makers” was screened.