Serendipity Essay “LSD”
LSD, scientifically known as lysergic acid diethylamide, is a popular hallucinogenic drug first synthesized in the 1930’s. It is known for taking users to a “new” world perhaps heaven, or hell. What many users do not know about LSD is that it was in fact discovered by accident. In other words LSD was a serendipitous discovery.
On November 16th, 1938 Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann was investigating possible therapeutic uses of specific ergot compounds. It was that day in which the drug was synthesized in the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel Switzerland. However it was not until 1943 that Hofmann discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD. Hofmann accidently ingested 25 micrograms (equal to the weight of a few
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In the early stages of LSD psychiatrists and doctors believed that the drug would be a new found cure for mental illnesses. It was considered that giving a patient LSD would take away the need for years upon years of psychotherapy and bear out lasting permanent changes in behaviour and personality. Among 1950 to 1965 about 40,000 mentally ill patients were administered the Hoffman’s tablets. There were two different types of therapy that involved LSD as a main component. In Europe, psycholitic therapy was typical. In this type of therapy psychiatrists gave the patients small doses of LSD (60 micrograms or less) over several to ten sessions and motivated them to target their thoughts on past positive memories, childhood and sub-consciousness. The second approach for LSD in medical use was psychedelic therapy. This was more likely used by the Americans. The patients unlike in psycholitic therapy were given large doses of approximately 200 micrograms over about three to four sessions. Rather than bringing out childhood memories and past positive memories. The American doctors expected the high doses of the drug would bring out positive spiritual awakening and patients would find the meaning of their lives and want to make themselves better individuals. The psychedelic approach was also utilized on alcoholics, who were a more difficult crowd to treat and criminals in …show more content…
The psychedelic drug has impacted the society greatly since the 1960’s to this day. LSD has been made an illegal drug that can only be obtained through drug trafficking on the streets. This can deeply affect single family neighbourhoods where dealing can take place in front of families and possibly young children and teens. This can cause the residents of the neighbourhood to become introverted and start drug use at a young age and think that it’s “ok” to use LSD when it is strictly an illegal drug. When communities have large numbers of LSD users, it is certain that some users will experience “bad trips.” These dangerous trips can make people violent, and make the neighbourhood extremely unsafe and hazardous disturbing residents in ways that can harm users and other individuals. In districts where LSD addiction is excessive, many types of accidents are possible and those users who wish to drive under the influence may hit young children, dogs, residents and, other animals. Many users do not know the consequences for using the drug and producing the drug. LSD is a schedule number 1 controlled substance under the controlled substances act (CSA) Meaning, the federal government believes that LSD has a high abuse potential and a lack of accepted safe us when under medical supervision. The federal penalty for the offense of LSD
During a visit to Mexico, Gordon Wasson, a mycologist, discovered the use of psilocybin mushroom in spiritual ceremonies by Indian tribes. Upon experiencing the spiritual and hallucinatory effects of the mushroom, Wasson returned to the area accompanied by an experienced mycologist, Roger Heim, who managed to cultivate the mushroom once in France and send samples of it to the scientist who had discovered lysergic acid, Albert Hoffman. From the mushrooms, Hoffman successfully isolated two compounds which he further named psilocybin and psilocin. Analogs of these compounds were further synthesized and were employed mainly for psychotherapeutic uses. Many tests on psilocybin were made at Harvard University in the early 1960’s. However, along with LSD, psilocybin became a scheduled substance in 1970, making it illegal. During this time, psilocybin mushrooms became a part of the psychedelic and hippy movement and were used for recreational and spiritual purposes. Research on psilocybin ended in the late 1980’s because of strict rules imposed by the government but recently scientist have started researching on this chemical once more.
The CIA’s clandestine operation known as Project MKUltra, inadvertently transformed the use of LSD from being a highly classified method of mind control into a massively popular drug that, in part, defined the counterculture movement of the 1960’s. While the CIA had no intention to supply the American public with the most potent hallucinogen known at the time, their poorly ran mission to create a foolproof truth-drug created an LSD following and changed it into a prominent entheogen. At that time, issues like the threat of an apocalyptic war with the USSR to the horrifying reports from the Vietnam War to the struggle for civil rights pervaded the minds of many young, disillusioned Americans who then sought an escape from their harsh reality. When they discovered a new and legal (until 1968) psychedelic drug thanks to public advocates like Ken Kesey or Timothy Leary, a massive demand was created, with roughly 2,000,000 individuals admitting to have tried it by the end of 1970. In the early 1950’s, prior to Project MKUltra, the groundwork for underhanded scientific research was laid.
LSD has proved that the mind contains much higher powers and energies, beyond the average 10% of the brain that a typical human uses. These powers and energies, under the right circumstances, can be taken advantage of to benefit humankind spiritually, creatively, therapeutically, and intellectually. LSD has given humans the option to chemically trigger mental energies and powers. Arguments that LSD is potentially a dangerous discovery and mind control should be strictly prohibited by the government hold much validity, although there are benefits and arguments of personal freedom of neurology to consider. Whether LSD reflects negativity as a weapon and mind control drug, or radiates euphoria as a mind-expanding chemical and sacrament, the choice to engage in such an experience should be through personal reasoning.
LSD was invented in Switzerland by Albert Hofmann, a researcher for Sandoz pharmaceuticals. It did not spontaneously appear among the youth of the Western world as a gift from the God of Gettin’ High. The CIA was on to acid long before the flower children.
LSD stands for Iysergic acid diethylamide. LSD is a hallucinate know to be the most powerful drug of this kind. LSD is commonly known as acid. This drug changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where at high doses hallucination occurs. Acid is derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is semi-synthetic. It’s manufactured chemically in illicit laboratories, except for a small percent, which is produced legally for research.
Hofmann, A. (1970, January 1). The Discovery of LSD. The Discovery of LSD. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from http://www.psychedelic-library.org/hofmann.htm
Some hallucinogens occur naturally in trees, vines, seeds, fungi and leaves. Others are made in laboratories by mixing different chemical substances. LSD or acid is one of the most common, well-known hallucinogens. Psilocin or Psilocybin mushrooms, Mescaline or Peyote, MDMA, Bufotenine, Morning Glory seeds, Jimson weed, PCP and DMT are less common psychedelics with effects similar to LSD. PCP and Ketamine are drugs with hallucinogenic properties. Some drugs, such as cannabis, can cause hallucinogen-like effects when used in high doses or in certain ways. Using hallucinogens is often called tripping. In its pure form LSD is a white, odorless powder. This pure form is very strong, so LSD is usually mixed with other things to make the dose large enough to take. LSD comes in the form as liquids, tablets, capsules or squares of gelatin or blotting paper. LSD use can have many effects. These may include sleeplessness, trembling, and raised heart rate, and blood pressure. LSD users may feel several emotions at once (including extreme terror), and their senses may seem to get crossed, giving the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. Even a tiny speck of LSD can trigger these effects. Many LSD users have flashbacks; sudden repetitions of their LSD experiences, days or months after they stop using the drug.
In 1960 professor Timothy Leary urged people to try the drug LSD. Leary thought that it could help people therapeutically and he saw many benefits in the usage of the drug. LSD was first available in tablet form but when it became illegal people began to use it in other forms such as liquid acid which was taken orally, through the eyes or mucous membrane or mixed with other drugs such as marijuana.
Drugs are used to escape the real and move into the surreal world of one’s own imaginations, where the pain is gone and one believes one can be happy. People look on their life, their world, their own reality, and feel sickened by the uncaringly blunt vision. Those too weak to stand up to this hard life seek their escape. They believe this escape may be found in chemicals that can alter the mind, placing a delusional peace in the place of their own depression: “Euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly halucinant,” (52). They do this with alcohol, acid, crack, cocaine, heroine, opium, even marijuana for the commoner economy. These people would rather hide behind the haze than deal with real problems. “...A gramme is better than a damn.” (55).
A largely debated topic in today's society is whether or not psychedelic drugs should be legalized for medicinal purposes and if they should, how this legalization would affect the communities in which they’re being prominently medicinally used. Although many scientists have argued that psychedelics pose a mental health risk, closer examination shows that communities would have a significantly lower depression rate if certain psychedelics were legalized. Now to fully understand how psychedelics could be beneficial or the opposite thereof, you’ll need to understand how they work and what they are. What a psychedelic drug is, the immediate effects, both mentally and physically, and how communities might benefit and function with the sudden use of these drugs.
Wesson, Donald R. "Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed And Phenobarbital Treatment Of Sedative-Hypnotic Dependence: A Journey To The Haight Ashbury In The Sixties." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 2 (2011): 153. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
2)Strassman, R. Human Hallucinogenic Drug Research: Regulatory, Clinical and Scientific Issues. Brain Res. 162. 1990.
Although in the modern world such drugs have developed an almost taboo status, it is impossible to ignore the tales of enlightenment reported by ancient cultures and even those rebels that use such drugs illegally today. While the American government has been one of the main influences on today’s society’s negative attitudes towards psychedelic drugs, they have granted some scientist and psychologists permission to experiment with such agents, and despite the controversy and varying results there seem to be many positive uses of psychedelic agents. These positive uses and the research that has been directed toward these uses will be reviewed in the following, as well as a brief history of psychedelic drugs.
Recreational drug use has been controversial for years. Government has deemed the use of certain drugs to be dangerous, addictive, costly, and fatal. Governmental agencies have passed laws to make drugs illegal and then have focused a great deal of attention and money trying to prohibit the use of these drugs, and many people support these sanctions because they view the illegality of drugs to be the main protection against the destruction of our society (Trebach, n.d.). Restricting behavior doesn’t generally stop people from engaging in that behavior; prohibition tends to result in people finding more creative ways to obtain and use drugs. However, just knowing that trying to control people’s behavior by criminalizing drug use does not work still leaves us looking for a solution, so what other options exist? This paper will discuss the pros and cons about one option: decriminalizing drugs.
Nichols, D. E., & Chemel, B. R. (2011). LSD and the serotonin system's effects on human