THE LOST PROMISE OF LSD

Prohibition of Albert Hofmann's 'problem child' failed to get it off
the street -- and succeeded in killing legitimate research into its
powerful potential to help people

Albert Hofmann, who died last week at the age of 102, lived just long
enough to see scientific research into the therapeutic value of LSD
get started up again. For the first time since the 1960s, the
tremendous potential of this powerful tool is being examined
scientifically for therapeutic use.

Millions of people have experienced transcendence through LSD
(lysergic acid diethylamide). The creative energy unleashed by Mr.
Hofmann's chemical catalyst has had a tremendous impact on our world.

Acid's effect on Western culture was profound, although most of the
other associated elements were already in place. The peace movement,
ecology, civil rights, changing gender roles and rock and roll -- all
of these things were well under way by the time LSD escaped the
laboratory and hit the streets. There was already a counter-cultural
drug scene; Allen Ginsberg had already written Howl. By 1962, when
recreational or "street" acid became available in North America,
psychedelic research was already causing chaos within the ivory tower.

LSD acted as a unifying force, an equal opportunity enlightener. It
was a bargain at $5 a hit in the 1970s; still is.

LSD is more transparent than other psychedelics; more open to
individual interpretation. An LSD trip seems somehow less predictable
than others, not as heavily influenced by ancient cosmologies as with
magic mushrooms or peyote.

You may have thought acid had gone away; it hasn't. It is still in
use. It's not reported as much as it once was because doses are lower
and people are better informed about the dangers. Paying close
attention to the "set and setting" of an acid trip pays off with a
reduced number of freakouts. Although the odd person still jumps off
a building thinking he can fly, that sort of thing is far less common nowadays.

No one has ever died of an LSD overdose. It has no lasting side
effects. Flashbacks are far, far less common than you've been told.

Some who used LSD did have horrible experiences, or "bad trips." For
a few it was the wedge that broke their grip on sanity once and for
all. For most, however, it was like pushing a big reset button on the
backs of their heads: suddenly they could see life with a childlike
wonder again, and be thrilled at the thought of it. LSD made people
happier, better at their work, better citizens and parents.

LSD honours, exhilarates, and empowers the majority of trippers by
allowing them to see past the patterns of everyday life and into a
deeper level of meaning. It clarifies the big concepts such as love,
family, and purpose; but also the little things: leaves and
fingerprints. The heartbreaking beauty of a smile. LSD is a joyful surprise.

For many people, it is just too surprising. They can't reconcile the
experience with their "normal" reality, so they try to forget it ever happened.

Many others keep going back, perhaps trying other drugs as well as
LSD, alone and in combinations, until they finally get the message,
and so can hang up the phone.

A few new psychedelic drugs have been invented since Albert's famous
bicycle ride through the streets of Basel; but more importantly,
ancient Shamanic practices involving the use of entheogens are
spreading across the globe. Ayahuasca, ibogaine, peyote, and magic
mushrooms are being used as part of healing rituals in every major
North American city. We don't hear about them because nobody's
getting hurt. What we should take notice of is that a great many
people are being helped.

In addition to these religious applications, a few others, scientists
and various research types, continue to ask how such tools can be
harnessed by an enlightened society.

Mr. Hofmann seemed to understand all the potential ramifications of
his "problem child." He was a brilliant chemist, philosopher, and
speaker. The recreational use of LSD distressed him, but he refused
to give up on its therapeutic potential. He continued to speak out
about the history and potential future of psychedelics until the end
of his days. His legacy is immense, and the fact that he lived -- and
lived well -- until the age of 102 is awe-inspiring.

I met him in 2001, while making my film, Hofmann's Potion. Albert
showed me and the crew around the grounds of his beloved estate
outside of Basel, Switzerland. He told me that he still enjoyed
thinking about his LSD experiences; and sometimes wishes he could
take just a pinch, when he goes on his walks. "It makes the colours
brighter," he said, and his eyes twinkled.

Mr. Hofmann must have derived much satisfaction, in the end, from
knowing that research in this field has begun anew. LSD and other
psychedelics are once again being taken seriously by science (as is
MDMA, which is not technically a psychedelic). The potential benefits
of these materials are being investigated in Israel, where MDMA
(methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is currently being used for the
treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers. Medical
studies using MDMA and cannabis are underway throughout North
America. Ibogaine is being tested in the treatment for severe
addictions here in Canada. In Switzerland they are using LSD to help
terminally ill patients cope with their fear of death. LSD is also
being investigated as a possible treatment for cluster headaches.

Timothy Leary once said that LSD causes fear and anger -- in the
minds of people who have not taken it. Today as in Leary's era, most
opposition to the use of psychedelics comes from those who have no
experience whatsoever of their effects.

The prohibition of psychedelic drugs was the legislative equivalent
of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The intention of that
law was to eliminate the street use, and it did no such thing. What
it did eliminate was the legitimate research into the potential uses
of these powerful tools.

Psychedelics, like cannabis, should never have been lumped together
with truly harmful drugs like speed, cocaine and heroin. Especially
not when cigarettes and alcohol, both far more dangerous, are legally
bought and sold.

As Mr. Hofmann says, "Things take years and years and years, until
finally, we find the right solution. And I am convinced that LSD will
find the place it needs in the human culture."

We're getting there. Thanks, Albert.