The '60s Are Gone, But The Trip Continues
Last week, the world witnessed the release of a study detailing the first clinical trial of LSD-assisted psychotherapy in 40 years. It was refreshing to witness media giants such as the NY Times, Forbes, and LA Times, yet again release positive press on psychedelics that was, thankfully, devoid of the fear mongering and misinformation that has so often characterized their public appearances.
Now, NPR continues the streak of positive press on psychedelic psychotherapy, all working to slowly but surely help these misunderstood substances shed their cultural baggage, and give people a glimpse of what they may truly have to offer humanity.
In 1966, psychedelic drug advocate and former Harvard professor Timothy Leary ppeared on the Merv Griffin Show.
"I'm in the unfortunate situation of being about 20 years ahead of my time," Leary said. When asked how many times he'd taken LSD, he answered 311. The audience gasped.
Leary was fired for experimenting with psychedelics on undergraduates, and before long, LSD was classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it had "no known medical use." Research on the medical uses of LSD and other psychedelics came to a halt.
“I believe we are on the threshold of some very exciting discoveries that the health field can only benefit from.”
- Charles Grob, UCLA
Today, psychedelic drug research is coming back, and scientists are picking up where Leary and other researchers left off, conducting experiments on therapeutic uses of these drugs. But the research still faces stigma, and funding is hard to get.
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