LSD: a retrospective
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Opinions
Albert Hoffman, the chemist responsible for first synthesizing the psychotropic compound lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, passed away yesterday in Switzerland at the age of 102. Hoffman discovered the drug in 1938 by coincidence while working as a researcher at the Sandoz pharmaceutical firm in Basel, Switzerland, and became the first human test subject of the substance when he accidentally dosed himself with it on April 16, 1943 while undergoing a laboratory experiment. He categorized his initial experience as causing "wonderful visions," but stated in a memo to company superiors that he "had to leave work for home because [he] was suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of unease and mild dizziness," according to the Associated Press.
Although his second experiment with a larger dose of LSD resulted in a terrifying experience for Hoffman, he nonetheless continued to advocate its further scientific use and study, especially in the field of psychiatry, as the drug exaggerated inner conflicts, mimicking the mindset of schizophrenic patients. Hoffman and some of his colleagues believed that the drug could be used to identify and possibly treat schizophrenia and other similar mental illness. Stanislav Grof, M.D. and Joan Halifax, Ph.D also experimented on the substance's usefulness in helping terminally ill cancer patients cope with dying, and as an alternative painkiller.
Popular figures such as Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey helped propel the drug to international notoriety throughout the 50s and 60s, but problems arose with certain people's experience with the drug. Horror stories about users suffering permanent psychosis or committing suicide while under the grips of the hallucinations circulated, and in 1966, the United States government banned LSD and other countries soon followed this example. LSD is currently a schedule I substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which means all research on the substance has been strictly forbidden.
Hoffman fought this ban for much of his later career, arguing the substance is chemically non-addictive, and therefore did not merit such restrictions. It is definitely counterintuitive to limit research on a substance as complicated and nuanced as LSD, which has yielded exciting results in controlled laboratory conditions. It hasn't been researched since the 1960s, so our current knowledge on the substance is hardly up to date. It's huge potential for consciousness expansion, as well as possibly offering insights into mental illness - not to mention its promise as a non-addictive alternative to opiate-based painkillers - makes it an interesting subject for debate and further research.
Although his second experiment with a larger dose of LSD resulted in a terrifying experience for Hoffman, he nonetheless continued to advocate its further scientific use and study, especially in the field of psychiatry, as the drug exaggerated inner conflicts, mimicking the mindset of schizophrenic patients. Hoffman and some of his colleagues believed that the drug could be used to identify and possibly treat schizophrenia and other similar mental illness. Stanislav Grof, M.D. and Joan Halifax, Ph.D also experimented on the substance's usefulness in helping terminally ill cancer patients cope with dying, and as an alternative painkiller.
Popular figures such as Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey helped propel the drug to international notoriety throughout the 50s and 60s, but problems arose with certain people's experience with the drug. Horror stories about users suffering permanent psychosis or committing suicide while under the grips of the hallucinations circulated, and in 1966, the United States government banned LSD and other countries soon followed this example. LSD is currently a schedule I substance under the Federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which means all research on the substance has been strictly forbidden.
Hoffman fought this ban for much of his later career, arguing the substance is chemically non-addictive, and therefore did not merit such restrictions. It is definitely counterintuitive to limit research on a substance as complicated and nuanced as LSD, which has yielded exciting results in controlled laboratory conditions. It hasn't been researched since the 1960s, so our current knowledge on the substance is hardly up to date. It's huge potential for consciousness expansion, as well as possibly offering insights into mental illness - not to mention its promise as a non-addictive alternative to opiate-based painkillers - makes it an interesting subject for debate and further research.