LSD

LSD, or more properly, d-lysergic acid diethylamide, was discovered in the Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland by Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1943. It was widely disseminated and in the 1960s proved to be the focus of an incipient youth rebellion that was centered on recreational drug use and “mind expansion.” The drug effects proved to be variable, and while many had fulfilling and problem-solving experiences, others had “bummers,” or “bad trips,” which sometimes culminated in hospitalization or rarely, suicide. This led to stigmatization of the drug, its advocates, and drug users, a situation that suited the agenda of politicians, and the drug was criminalized on state and federal levels in the mid-1960s. It is useful to note that it is listed as a Schedule I drug, ...