That idiot Timothy Leary, with his outrageous pronouncements and behavior in the 1960s, got LSD banned from research.
I’ve never taken street drugs, ever. But if I did, I would be tempted to try this one. It’s not addictive and, if you read the works of Stanislav Grof, has been responsible for some awesome insights into the true nature of mind and reality.
A recent review has unearthed a bunch of very interesting studies from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, examining the use of LSD to treat a variety of disorders, including alcoholism.
In a new analysis, Norwegian researchers examined six studies of LSD and alcoholism that were conducted in the United States and Canada between 1966 and 1970.
The analysis of data from the 536 patients in the studies showed that a single dose of LSD helped heavy alcoholics quit and reduced their risk of resuming drinking, according to the meta-analysis appearing online March 8 in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Interestingly, the patients who received a full dose of the controversial drug did the best. On average, 59 percent of those patients showed a clear improvement, compared with 38 percent of patients in other groups, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology researchers said.
The beneficial effect of LSD was greatest during the first few months of treatment, but the effect gradually decreased over time.
“We do not yet fully know why LSD works this way,” researchers Teri Krebs and Pal-Orjan Johansen said in a university news release. “But we know that the substance is nontoxic and that it is not addictive. We also know that it has a striking effect on the imagination, perception and memories.”
We know LSD interacts with a specific type of serotonin receptor in the brain. That seems to stimulate the formation of new connections and patterns, and generally seems to open an individual to an awareness of new perceptions.
Despite these promising studies, it was generally concluded decades ago that LSD had no demonstrated medical use. That was probably a political decision. Banning it certainly was.
[SOURCE: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, news release, March 8, 2012]
Wait, why is Timothy Leary an idiot? He pioneered the research of using LSD as a psychoanalytical probe.
Because he behaved like a fool Scott. His disreputable displays and comments in public brought LSD into such disrepute the authorities were almost forced to act.
If he had behaved like a responsible scientist (he was supposed to be a scientist above all, not a hippie) we would not have lost 50 years of valuable research into the possible benefits of psychotropic drugs.
I guess I never looked at it from any perspective other than his own. I can see what you’re saying, though – with the whole “drug guru” image he took on in the 70s. He probably had honorable intentions; trying to “turn on” a new generation and plant the seeds of a less robotic populace. But what did he say in public in particular that “forced” the authorities to act? Can you point me in the direction of some literature that will shed light on this? I’ve only read Dr. Leary’s books, which obviously are biased. But they are quite good. Have you read Neuropolitique?