Albert Hofmann was a Swiss chemist who discovered lysergic acid diethylamide-25 by accident in 1938 while studying the medicinal ingredients in plants. One April day in 1938 a bit of LSD seeped onto his finger. That's when he discovered the psychedelic effects of the drug.
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LSD was studied as a possible weapon by the CIA and military, who were looking for ways to control the mind. Ultimately the effects of the drug were too unpredictable. In the 1960s LSD was the drug of choice for the counter-culture in the U.S.. It was outlawed in 1966 after it was deemed unsafe due to people under the influence having psychotic breaks-committing murders, or jumping out of windows, believing they could fly. LSD is outlawed in most countries.
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Hofmann understood the problems LSD could cause, but he stood by his discovery. "I produced the substance as a medicine. It's not my fault if people abused it", he said.
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Hofmann wanted the LSD ban lifted for more study, believing that the drug could be beneficial to enlightenment if used correctly. He stated on his Website "...enlightenment, beatific vision, love. I think all these joyful testimonies of invaluable help by LSD should be enough to convince the health authorities, finally, of the nonsense of the prohibition of LSD and of similar psychedelics".
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Hofmann did acknowledge the dangers of the drug if it fell into the wrong hands, and wrote a book published in 1979 called, My Problem Child.
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"It can help open your eyes", he once said. "But there are other ways: meditation, dance, music, fasting".
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AP Basel | Switzerland
Labels: history
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Posted by: Lyta |
Time: Thursday, February 19, 2009 |
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