Customer Reviews

Drugs and the public

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I met John Robertson (one of the authors) during the late 1960's. Since I was working as a Research Assistant on a National Institutes of Health Research study on the long term effects of LSD on "normal" adults, I was privy to share my perceptions of LSD and marijuana with the author. The author of the study on LSD, William H. McGlothlin, Ph.D, had previously written research papers and monographs on the use of cannabis. At the time the book "Drugs and Public" was written, the climate of drug use in the United States was very, very different than it is now. Most of the people I knew who were using LSD and marijuana were intelligent, sophisticated, educated adults who were using these substances to gain more insight into themselves and society. Those of us who used LSD to obtain "transcendental" experiences gained tremendously from the experience. Unfortunately, due to the politics of the time, any drugs that allowed you to perceive "reality" was a threat to the society, and thus banned. The banning of LSD probably set back brain research about 20 years. It's an interesting book, but keep in mind, it was written at a time when "drug use" was totally different than it is now. Today, for example, people who use acid, use it "for kicks." These people are missing the whole point, and one can understand the prohibition for it's use. LSD should NOT be used by children and adolescents. Plus, if one is going to use it, they need to be very well prepared. It is not a "fun" drug. It will "shove you down your own throat." If you don't want to gag on it, be prepared.